The influence of Euro-American trade upon the Osage Nation with special emphasis on the indigenous slave trade, 1670-1803

After encountering European elements, both material and animal, in the second half of the seventeenth century, the Waz-haz-he (Children of the Middle Waters) or Osage, embarked upon a new era characterized by the aggressive expansion of their geographical range coupled with the intensification of certain traditional practices. Possessing a semi-fluid culture and positioned on the fringes of three expanding (and competing) European powers, the Osage readily adapted to the emerging market, exploiting their advantageous geographical position and establishing hegemonic control over a vast area in the middle of the North American continent.;Increasingly dependent upon Euro-American animals and manufactured products, the Osage raided neighboring tribes to the south and west in order to obtain goods (including captives) valued in European and Euro-American markets. For over a hundred years, roughly from 1680 until 1790, the Osage utilized the psychological and militaristic advantage of European firearms to wage continual warfare against other indigenous groups, expanding their hegemonic range and increasing tribal prestige.;As a type of currency desired by slave traders throughout eastern portions of North America and the Caribbean, the Osage actively sought indigenous peoples to serve as chattel commodities for Europeans and other indigenous groups. Captive taking proved a profitable venture for Osage raiding and war parties. Ultimately, however, success in the 1700s planted the seeds for disharmony and disunion in the following century. The wealth accumulated through aggressive raiding generated new avenues of religious, political, and social prestige among the Osage. The resulting tension between notions of ascribed and achieved status prompted several divisions that weakened tribal unity and ultimately spelled the end of the Osage hegemony.;This dissertation examines the influence of Euro-American trade upon the Osage from initial encounters with Euro-American elements through the early nineteenth century. Special emphasis is placed on the role of the indigenous slave trade as a vital component of cultural modification and catalyst for change.