Understanding the Nuances of Writing is Essential for Everyone

Threats to Native Americans

A person who desires power, fame, or wealth is willing to go to any length, even if it means compromising lives and causing harm to others. In the literary text Killers of the Flower Moon, which David Grann wrote, there is a specific character whose greed has caused numerous deaths. Grann narrates the killings of the members of the Native American tribe, Osage. They lived in peace, but the whites continued disrupting their lives. They discovered an opportunity to thrive in the oil industry after being relocated. The people of the United States know that there is much income in the oil industry. Thus, when the Osage were succeeding and finally rising to power, most people envied them and became interested in them. This event attracted terrible people, and William Hale was one of them. Hale wanted power and wealth; thus, he decided to kill the members of the Osage tribe (Grann 1-352). It is evident in the story that the killings are systematic and systemic; it is carefully planned and inherent.

The series of killings are considered systematic. The rise of the Osage has also contributed to their demise. Many people envied them and wished to have what they had. William Hale is one of these people. He is a simple cattleman, but he has risen through the positions to take their place. He is a greedy individual who envies the Osage. Hale has also been used in dirty work, as demonstrated by the following statement: “He outworked and outwitted his rivals, making plenty of enemies who wanted him dead” (Grann 26). People despise him because of his evil acts. As a

result, Hale devises a plan to assassinate the Osage because it is not impossible for him to do dirty work on the Osage too. He believes that once the Osage are gone, he will be able to take over their industry and manage and profit from it. In a nutshell, he aspires to be one of the wealthiest men in the United States by killing the Osage. His plans are systematic and well-polished. He focuses on one Osage family, the prominent one, whose deaths are unexpected and horrible. Some family members were shot, poisoned, or killed in an explosion. Mollie is the only one who survived in their family, and she is very eager to catch the culprit. Since Hale has planned these killings very well, the authorities believe they may be unable to identify the person behind the murders. In addition, since Hale has been systematic, people will not consider him the suspect. In conclusion, the killings are intentional and well-planned.

The series of killings are also considered to be systemic. Native Americans have historically faced racism and discrimination. The peaceful lives of the Osage have been disrupted from the beginning. It began when they needed to find a new place to live. They live in their native land but are forced to relocate to infertile and dry land. The government’s use of force is seen in this statement: “But within four years, Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River. The Osage chief stated that his people had no choice; they must either sign the treaty or be declared enemies of the United States” (Grann 28). This incident demonstrates that the government is oblivious to Native Americans. The government discriminates against them and treats them sternly. This attitude toward Native Americans could explain Hale’s plans. The majority of people mistreat Native Americans. As a result, it is unavoidable that people like Hale will also exploit their weaknesses and mistreat them. Hence, it is evident that the killings are systemic. Society has become accustomed to treating these people

poorly, and the murders in which they were involved have become normalized.

Killers of the Flower Moon has carefully examined the underlying causes of the Osage tribe's killings. It reveals that their race has been the ultimate source of contention. Racism is pervasive in the United States, and it affects them. They have labels attached to them, and people believe they are helpless and powerless. Hence, it implies that people can be superior to them because of their race. It also reveals that the people behind the killings have executed his plans well because he has in-depth knowledge of the tribe’s background, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition, people’s greed and envy are reasons for the tribe’s tragic fate. Therefore, the killings are well-planned, procedural, and inherent.

Understanding the relationship between a story and the external circumstances on which it is based is essential for any reader. It allows him to have a clearer appreciation of the author’s intent and allows a critical insight into the matter. In line with the story of Killers of the Flower Moon, I believe that while the violence and brutality experienced by the Osage do not exist today (or at least not manifestly), systemic and structural racism exists. It is this system of systemic and structural racism which is similar to the “government vs. system” narrative that was experienced by the Osage back in the story. This discussion would also touch upon the idea of traditional or forced assimilation.

One of the reasons for the similarity between the societal systems in the story and real life is because of the presence of structural or systemic racism. As said earlier, although racism differs in terms of scale, much of it affects the decisions of every individual, whether consciously or unconsciously. For example, it could be seen in the story how the natives were forced to assimilate into the society. They were forced to move out of their lands and sign the treaty despite being killed

by Hale and other Whites. It is as if the government’s focus is to either force them to assimilate within the larger society or cast them out, whichever is easier for the former. Today, even though this “forced removal” of the Natives from their lands, the government’s ‘community relocation’ of the Natives tends to deprive them of their indigenous territories.

Aside from the presence of structural racism, force assimilation still happens, although less rigid than before. Most of these happen with immigrants who, dreaming of a better life, would be forced to shed their cultural backgrounds to become an “American.” In the story, young members of the Osage were forced to attend Christian parochial schools. Similarly, today, reports state that native American children in American boarding schools were prohibited from speaking their native language, which suggests the appropriation exists these days. This is not yet stating the fact that most of these relocations are made near American communities, which then homogenizes the natives with the American culture.

Another factor that shows the idea of “government vs. system” in terms of forced assimilation is through a less intensive yet present way of affecting the native’s way of life. The story showed that the Osage (especially children) were taught how to be ‘productive’ by teaching them skills like farming, carpentry, and sewing, which are different from their traditional nomadic methods. Today, this still happens in both American schools and within the system. Due to the aggressive expansion of the American government, Natives are forced to take jobs that conform to the American society or risk starving in the process. In other words, even though they were not physically forced to study these skills in some instances, the lack of resources caused by American expansion forced them to assimilate by learning skills that would fit contemporary dominant society.

In conclusion, based on the discussion above, it is clear that the kind of conflict between the government and individual (or a community) still happens these days. Similar to the circumstances in the story, this assimilation happens more often than not, although less sternly than before. Today there are no more brutality and killings, or at least as reported by the media, but natives are still forced to become a part of the American society or risk starvation in the process.

Works Cited

Grann, David. Killers of the Flower Moon: Oil, Money, Murder and the Birth of the FBI. Simon

and Schuster, 2017.