‘Little House on the Prairie’ Honors Osage Nation With Special Community Screening

Once upon a time, Pa and Ma and Mary and Laura left their house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin for a fresh start in the west.

So begins the new Netflix series adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's iconic semi-autobiographical book Little House on the Prairie . Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story, this fresh interpretation offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.

In addition to the Ingalls family, the series also explores life for Osage families living on the same land. Behind the scenes , production worked closely with various Osage and Indigenous experts to ensure historical and cultural authenticity. Production also brought on artisans, Osage linguists and experts based in Oklahoma, investing in the local creative community and creating a richer on-screen experience.

Indigenous citizens were also employed as actors and behind-the-scenes crew members, working across various departments including wardrobe, set design, props, music and post-production. Writer Tom Hanada, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation whose past credits include The Boroughs and Under the Bridge, and P. Carter Kristensen, a member of the Osage, Sak & Fox and Potawatomi nations whose past credits include Frenemies , worked in the writer's room. Acclaimed filmmaker Sydney Freeland, a member of the Diné nation whose credits include episodes of Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls as well as Netflix's Rez Ball , and veteran director Erica Tremblay, a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation whose credits include episodes of Dark Winds and Reservation Dogs , each helmed episodes of the series.

To celebrate the many contributions of the Osage community to Little House on the Prairie , we hosted a special screening of Episode 7, which depicts the signing of the 1868 Drum Creek Treaty between the US and the Osage Nation, at the Osage Casino in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Guests in attendance included Osage Nation officials, such as Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear (Principal Chief, Osage Nation) and Joe Tillman (Principal-Chief-Elect, Osage Nation), as well as Osage citizens and community partners.

After enjoying small bites and a performance by Osage singers, Deputy Director of Wahzhazhe Communications (Wahzhazhe is the traditional autonym for the Osage Nation) Russ Tallchief gave opening remarks at the screening, followed by a blessing from Osage Nation Secretary of Language/Culture/Education Vann Bighorse (also a member of the Cherokee Nation).

"Everyone involved in bringing this series to life acknowledged the importance of sharing both sides of the story, including the Wahzhazhe side of the story," Tallchief said. "This series is yet another marker of the broadening of the entertainment industry to include more perspectives and characters and voices and artist contributions, paving the way for new voices and new stories that shine a new light on history."

Following the episode, Tallchief moderated a discussion on representation, craft, and cultural impact featuring Freeland; O'Keefe; Meegwun Fairbrother (Ojibwe), who plays William Mitchell in the series; Alyssa Wapanatâhk (Bigstone Cree), who plays White Sun in the series; and the show's Osage cultural consultant, Julie O'Keefe, followed by an audience Q&A.

O'Keefe discussed the process of bringing on roughly 100 members of the Osage and Indigenous communities to work on the production in varying capacities. "We all know that that story is so much richer with all of our voices in it," she said. "The greatest gift of working on this is always bringing your community in. … It's the best part of what I get to do."

The event ended with a special performance of the prayer song featured in the series by the Osage Tribal Singers.

This is just the latest screening for Little House on the Prairie , which was also shown at AARP's "Movies for Grownups" program across the Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and South Dakota. We're also hosting library screenings for the drama in 130 US cities, including three in Oklahoma.

Little House on the Prairie is Netflix's latest book series adaptation, joining Bridgerton, My Life With the Walter Boys, Ransom Canyon, Sweet Magnolias, Virgin River and more .

The series, which debuted on the Global Top 10 English TV list, has already been renewed for a second season .

Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie is now streaming - only on Netflix.