Geoffrey Standing Bear
{{short description|American lawyer}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name=Geoffrey M. Standing Bear
| image= Geoffrey Standing Bear.jpg
| caption= Standing Bear in 2024
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| office = Principal Chief of Osage Nation
| term_start = 2 July 2014
| term_end =
| predecessor = Scott Bighorse
| successor =
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| alma_mater = University of Tulsa, J.D.
| profession = Attorney
| relatives = Fred Lookout (great-grandfather)
| residence = Oklahoma, U.S.
| website =
}}
Geoffrey M. Standing Bear (Osage) is an attorney and politician who has served as Principal Chief of the Osage Nation since 2014.
Early life and education
Chief Standing Bear was born into the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. He attended Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the University of Tulsa College of Law.{{cite news|last1=Klein|first1=John|title=The land of the Osage is coming home|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/columnists/johnklein/john-klein-the-land-of-the-osage-is-coming-home/article_3fd9469d-ed1b-5173-aa69-11ce9f5b112c.html|accessdate=3 May 2018|work=Tulsa World|date=8 January 2017}} He is the great-grandson of Fred Lookout.{{cite news |last1=Eger |first1=Andrea |title=Osage chief's own kin took extraordinary steps to remain safe during Reign of Terror |url=https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/indigenous/osage-chiefs-own-kin-took-extraordinary-steps-to-remain-safe-during-reign-of-terror/article_4a6c3b22-46ab-11ee-851a-d3dd5ca1248b.html |access-date=16 October 2023 |work=Tulsa World |date=October 16, 2023}}
Political career
Over the years Standing Bear became active in tribal politics as the people took more actions to assert their sovereignty. He was elected as Principal Chief of the Osage Nation and took office on July 2, 2014, after the previous chief, John Red Eagle, was impeached. Standing Bear succeeded Scott Bighorse, who had served as acting chief.{{cite news|last1=Lenzy|first1=Krehbiel-Burton|title=Pawhuska attorney Geoffrey Standing Bear takes office as Osage principal chief|url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/pawhuska-attorney-geoffrey-standing-bear-takes-office-as-osage-principal/article_b9da1943-f647-51b4-87fc-d97c648fbb80.html|accessdate=2 May 2018|work=Tulsa World|issue=3 July 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.indianz.com/News/2014/014284.asp |title=Osage Nation holds inauguration for new chief and other leaders |publisher=Indianz.Com |date=2014-07-03 |access-date=2016-02-20}}
Chief Standing Bear took office after the Osage received a landmark settlement from the federal government to settle claims of mismanagement of revenues due tribal members from leased mineral rights.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} Under his administration, the Osage Nation worked to increase their communal landholdings, acquiring more than 50,000 acres of mostly former reservation land. This total includes the tribe's purchase from Ted Turner of the 43,000-acre Bluestem Ranch, located in historically Osage territory.{{cite news|title=Standing Bear to seek re-election as Principal Chief|url=http://www.pawhuskajournalcapital.com/news/20171115/standing-bear-to-seek-re-election-as-principal-chief|accessdate=3 May 2018|work=Pawhuska Journal-Capital|date=November 2017|archive-date=4 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504092028/http://www.pawhuskajournalcapital.com/news/20171115/standing-bear-to-seek-re-election-as-principal-chief|url-status=dead}}
The tribe has also developed a $160 million casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, new educational and language preservation initiatives, and two community centers.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} The tribe has challenged the Oklahoma Attorney General's office with regard to tribal sovereignty and water/mineral rights.{{cite news|title=Osage Nation Defends Sovereignty Over Water, Minerals|url=http://www.newson6.com/story/36540235/osage-nation-defends-sovereignty-over-water-minerals|accessdate=3 May 2018|work=KOTV News on Six|date=6 October 2017}}
Chief Standing Bear worked extensively with Martin Scorsese and his production team to create opportunities for Osage and to promote their culture in the filming and production of Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). Not only were numerous Osage hired as actors and extras, but others were employed as technical staff behind the cameras, and were involved in research and creation of historically accurate costumes and sets.Press conference at Cannes Film Festival, 2023
References
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Category:Principal Chiefs of the Osage Nation
Category:University of Tulsa College of Law alumni