Osage Mission: The Story of Catholic Missionary Work in Southeast Kansas

In 1820, Osage chiefs traveled from southeast Kansas to St. Louis to ask Bishop Louis DuBourg to visit their villages, promising that “he could pour waters on many heads.” Through their experience with French traders, the Osage had come to trust Catholic priests; thus, as Protestant clergy began to petition the government for the right to establish missions on Osage lands, the chiefs turned to the “Chief of the Black Robes.” By negotiating a relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, the Osage hoped to preserve their identity as “Children of the Middle Waters.” The author examines the ensuing relationship between the Osage and the Jesuit priests.