Portrait of Princess Pawhuska, Chief of the Pawhuska “White Hair” Band of Osage Nation, June 21, 1958. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes Europe edition June 22, 1958. It refers to Princess Pawhuska, whose full name is Lillie Morrell Burkhart, as Mrs. Byron Burkhart. It is republished unedited in its original form and includes language now considered offensive and dated.
Mannheim, Germany (S&S) — Princess Paw-hu-ska, the last member of the Osage Indian Tribe’s royal family of Oklahoma, has arrived here for a 10-day counseling visit to the local German Oglala “tribe,” renamed Osage in honor of the princess’ coming.
She is accompanied by chief of the Osage tribal council, Paul Pitts, and Pitts’ son. They will depart Mannheim July 1 for Brussels, where Princess Paw-hu-ska will represent American Indians during American national day at the World’s Fair July 2-4.
While in Mannheim, the princess will be guest of local military and city officials and will offer technical advice to the Manheim “Indian” group in Indian lore, culture and customs, and will revisit some of the scenes of her 1935 trip through Germany.
Invited by German Group
The congenial princess came to Mannheim at the invitation of Willi Linder, “Chief Gray Cloud” of the local group dedicated to study and preservation of American Indian culture.
She plans to confer honorary Indian titles on Col. H.B. Heckmeyer, Heidelberg Post CO, Brig. Gen. S. M. Mellnik, 7th Army Support Comd CG, and Hans Reschke, Mannheim lord mayor. These titles will be documented by certificates issued by Gov. Raymond Gary of Oklahoma.
Princess Pawhuska of Osage Nation shows a certificate signed by Chief Paul Pitts, principle chief of the Osage Tribe, recognizing her as Chief of "the old original band of Pawhuska "White Hair." (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
Princess Pawhuska of Osage Nation shows an official proclamation of the Governor of Oklahoma commissioning the Lord Mayor of Mannheim, Germany as an honorary colonel on the governor's staff. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
The princess, Mrs. Bryan Burkhart, of Ralston, Okla., brought with her many Indian relics and costumes, including blankets and wampums, belts, books on Indian culture and recordings of Indian songs dating back to the 1800s. One of the most prized of her exhibit is a white buckskin dress embroidered with her own designs in imported beads.
The princess explained that the colorful beads were imported from Czechoslovakia before World War II, and that world conditions since that time have curbed such imports, resulting in a handicap to the American Indian in his handcrafts.
The relics, part of her personal collection, will be on display at the World’s Fair when she appears in the exhibit sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Mrs. Burkhart is a direct descendant of chief Paw-hu-ska (Chief White Hair), last hereditary chief of the wealthy Osage Tribe of Northern Oklahoma. Members of the tribe now live in Osage County, Okla., and have retained extensive holdings in oil production there.
Princess Pawhuska, Chief of the Pawhuska “White Hair” Band of Osage Nation, holds a traditional Wazhazhe long bone necklace. The Osage people refer to themselves as Wazhazhe in their own language. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
Princess Pawhuska, Chief of the Pawhuska "White Hair" Band of Osage Nation, and Osage Nation Principle Chief Paul Pitts, pose for a portrait June 21, 1958, while visiting Mannheim, Germany. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
Princess Pawhuska of Osage Nation shows a white buckskin dress — embroidered with her own design with beads imported from Czechoslovakia. Also shown are a tribal blanket and a wampum belt. The relics will be on display at the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs at the 1958 World's Fair in Brussels, Belgium. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes)
Liaison with D.C.
Pictures of Chief White Hair and Princess Paw-hu-ska hang in the Osage council chambers, meeting place of the present-day governing council, of which Pitts is the elected head and liaison between the tribe and the Federal Government.
While in Mannheim, the party is guest of Maj. Lee P. Vincent, Mannheim provost marshal, and Mrs. Vincent, who serves as the princess’ secretary and German interpreter here.
Mrs. Burkhart will present her credentials to Heckemeyer Monday [June 23, 1958], and on Wednesday [June 25, 1958] to Mellnik and Reschke, when her party will lunch with local military and city officials.
On Friday [June 27, 1958] she will be guest of the Mannheim Osage “tribe” during their spring powwow at the local reservation, beginning at 2 pm.
The princess said she hopes to have an honor guard of American Indians at the powwow, provided enough Indians could be located among U.S. military personnel stationed in Heidelberg Post.
Princess Pawhuska, Chief of the Pawhuska "White Hair" Band of Osage Nation, and Osage Nation Principle Chief Paul Pitts (left), stand in front of a blackboard together with Brig. Gen. S. M. Mellnik, commanding general of the 7th Army Support Command, June 25, 1958. The princess, identified in the 1958 Stars and Stripes article as Mrs. Byron Burkhart and whose full name was Lillie Morrell Burkhart, wrote a greeting in the Osage native language of Dhegihan Siouan. Pawhuska and Chief Pitts conferred the honorary Osage title of "Chief Hluahwahtah" on Mellnik. (Lloyd Borguss/Stars and Stripes)
