With Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear eschewing a potential fourth term in favor of a campaign for the tribe’s mineral council, three candidates — Amanda GoodEagle, Scott BigHorse and Joe Tillman — are running to succeed him in the Feb. 23 election.
Both BigHorse and Tillman currently serve in the Osage Nation Congress, while GoodEagle is an attorney and associate Supreme Court justice for the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
In memoriam
Osage citizens are mourning the death of former Principal Chief Jim Gray, who led the tribe from 2002 to 2010.
If elected, GoodEagle would be the first female principal chief of the Osage Nation and the first elected female chief since 1875. Before the Osage Nation created its first constitution in 1881, Rosana Chouteau was elected as the second chief of Beaver’s Band. On the topic of being elected a female Osage chief, Chouteau reportedly once said, “I am the first one and I expect to be the last one,” according to historian Carolyn Freeman‘s 1954 book Indian Women Chiefs.
GoodEagle’s path to proving Chouteau wrong in the 21st century could be fairly uphill. She faces a criminal trial — scheduled after the Feb. 23 primary election — over allegations she battered the clerk of the Osage Nation Congress during a dance hosted by the tribe. Complicating things further, GoodEagle is under a gag order that prevents her from discussing the case in more detail, according to Osage News.
Early voting is scheduled from 12 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Osage Nation Chambers Building in Pawhuska. Election Day voting is set for 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23. The top two vote earners in the primary election will advance to the June 1 general election, even if one surpasses 50 percent support.
The following candidate cheat sheet is derived from candidates’ websites and social medias, Osage News coverage, a public debate held Dec. 6, and other publicly available information. Candidates are presented in alphabetical order by last name, and a vide of the debate is embedded below.
Scott BigHorse
Age:Â 69
Residence: Pawhuska
Background: Scott BigHorse currently serves in the Osage Nation Congress, where he was first elected in 2018. He previously served as the nation’s assistant principal chief from 2010 to 2014, and he briefly served as principal chief in 2014 between the impeachment of John Red Eagle and the election of Standing Bear. Before entering Osage Nation politics, BigHorse served one term in the Oklahoma House representing HD 36 from 2006 to 2008.
Platform: Asked during the debate what initiatives his office would push if elected, BigHorse expressed support for the nation acquiring the rural water districts within the reservation.
“I was glad to hear that we are looking at purchasing Rural Water District No. 21 out here, which affects a lot of our tribal members,” BigHorse said. “Something that I want to really look into is purchasing some of these rural water districts within our reservation boundaries.”
BigHorse has also said he supports expanding access to health care for tribal citizens, ensuring Osage Nation facilities are up-to-date and increasing investment in non-gaming related businesses.
Links:Â Candidate Statement | Personal Facebook | Osage News tag
Amanda (Proctor) GoodEagle
Age:Â 50
Residence: Skiatook
Background:Â Amanda GoodEagle is from Elgin, Kansas, and was raised in Wichita. She told attendees of the Osage Nation principal chief debate Dec. 6 that she graduated from Harvard University and the University of Tulsa College of Law.
GoodEagle has run for office at least six times — including four campaigns for the Osage Nation Congress and two for assistant principal chief — under her maiden name, Proctor, according to Osage News. She is currently an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.
GoodEagle is also set to go to trial for battery, under her maiden name, on May 11. She is accused of battering Brooklyn Kemble, the clerk of the Osage Nation Congress, during the 2024Â Osage Nation Sovereignty Celebration Dance on March 16. GoodEagle has maintained that she “bumped” into Kemble on an “overcrowded dance floor,” according to Osage News.
Platform:Â Asked during the debate what initiatives she would push as principle chief if elected, Good Eagle expressed support for “culturally appropriate” development.
“I think the (Osage Nation) ranch is one of the best enterprises we could have possibly engendered,” GoodEagle said. “I think we need to take an inventory of all the lands that we’ve purchased and make sure that those lands and buildings are being used for the best and highest purposes for the Osage Nation.”
She has also said she supports funding quarterly payments to “elderly members of the tribe” with casino revenue and building a dialysis clinic in Pawhuska.
In a July post on Facebook, GoodEagle said she opposes the Muscogee Nation’s support of Alicia Stroble’s U.S. Supreme Court appeal seeking a declaration of exemption from state income tax because the court may side with the Oklahoma Tax Commission and fulfill the state agency’s request to revisit the 2020 McGirt v. Oklahoma decision entirely. GoodEagle also criticized the Osage Nation’s ongoing efforts to receive court affirmation of its reservation, which has only been recognized for purpose of mineral rights thus far.
“The Osage are still throwing money away, as we speak, on this crazy quest for McGirt status, with no thought of how it would impact our very fraglie (sic) court system, or law enforcement, or budget. And no real hope of winning,” GoodEagle said in the Facebook post. “The only way to affirm our reservation is through a headright or oil case, not a tax or criminal case, which I will pursue as chief . . . when the facts and the time are right . . . not when some Ishtahe lawyer wants to make a buck!”
GoodEagle also supports the removal of Osage Nation Attorney General Clint Patterson. She has also questioned the legitimacy of the nation’s voting list for including members with pending membership removal cases in Osage court.
GoodEagle has received a $125 fine from the Wahzhazhe Election Board.
Links:Â Candidate statement | Osage News tag (Proctor) | Osage News tag (GoodEagle) | Personal Facebook | Campaign Facebook
Joe Tillman
Age:Â 65
Residence:Â Pawhuska
Background:Â Joe Tillman is the son of former Osage Nation Principal Chief Charles O. Tillman Jr., was raised in Fairfax and is an alumnus of Oklahoma State University. He currently serves in the Osage Nation Congress, where he was first elected in 2016. He previously served as speaker and second speaker of the Congress.
Platform: Asked during the debate what initiatives his office would push if elected, Tillman expressed support for improving education on the reservation and ensuring tribal members have access to affordable housing.
“Affordable housing that we can offer to a range of our constituents. I know there are members at-large in the Oklahoma area and other states that would like to move back to the reservation,” Tillman said. “But we don’t have homes for them to live in and bring their families.”
Tillman has also voiced support for increasing the amount of funds stored in the nation’s permanent fund and stressed the importance of working with Oklahoma’s new governor when they are inaugurated next year.
Links:Â Candidate statement | Personal Facebook | Osage News tag
Watch the Dec. 6 candidate debate
