Montauban and the Osages

the Osage Indian tribe, very present in the Cité d'Ingres

Among the curiosities that make up Montauban’s great history, the most unlikely is undoubtedly the close link between the City of Ingres and the Osage Indian tribe. Follow us as we encounter a bridge that crosses the Atlantic…

The arrival of the Osages in Montauban

During the terrible winter of 1829, the Osage Indians arrived exhausted in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne), bringing to an end a wandering journey that had taken them across part of Europe for two and a half years.

After weeks of wandering, the Osages were welcomed in Montauban by Bishop Louis-Guillaume Dubourg. A collection was organized to enable them to return home, and it was thanks to the generosity of the people of Montauban that the Osages returned to their village and recounted their odyssey. From one generation to the next, this story has been passed down to today’s Osages.
In 1989, the Oklahoma-Occitania association rediscovered contact with the tribe, who joined the cultural exchange project. Since then, there have been regular encounters between Osages in Occitania and Occitans in Oklahoma. A stele erected in Montauban’s Jardin des Plantes commemorates this new-found friendship.

Tribe location: According to tribal legend, the ancient Osages once lived east of the Mississippi, first in the foothills of Virginia, then in the Ohio Valley.

Indian symbols in the city

The land of the Indians

Join us at Montauban’s Jardin des Plantes for a journey to Indian soil.

At the end of the 20th century, the city of Montauban gave the Osage tribe a piece of land in the Jardin des Plantes as a gift. As you stroll through the garden, you’ll be able to admire sculptures and a plaque indicating that you’re walking on Indian land.

Le rond des Osages

Travellers arriving in Montauban on the freeway cannot fail to notice an astonishing traffic circle at the “Sapiac” exit: three elongated tubular metal structures in the shape of openwork rectangles of unequal heights, are planted among young pine trees. These monuments, one red, one yellow, one blue, cut out strange geometric symbols against the sky. To reinforce the enigma, an enamelled plaque announces, flush with the lawn: ” Rond des Osages “. Many Montalbanais have taken to calling this place “les totems”.

Oklahoma-Occitania Association

In June 1987, Jean-Claude Drouilhet, who went on to found the association, read an article in Historama. To his great surprise, he discovered the episode about the three Osages who had stayed in Montauban in 1829. He launched the project of inviting the Osages to Montauban. He writes to the tribe. Chief George Tallchief and Mrs Angela Robinson accept the project and the cultural exchange.

It’s the start of a new adventure!

The Osages today

The Osage tribe still exists today, with some twelve thousand members, about half of whom still live on the reservation, now known asOsage County. Its Tribal Council meets regularly in the capital, Pawhuska, which is also the Osage county seat. Osages work in a wide variety of professions – or are unemployed – and, whatever their social status, live by American standards.

But they all come together in traditional ceremonies, young and old, to maintain their traditions, identity and culture.

Today’s Osages are cultural warriors.

Montauban-Pawhuska

Located in the heart of the United States in the state of Oklahoma, the town of Pawhuska has been twinned with Montauban since 1999.

Since then, many citizens of Pawhuska, most of them members of the Osage Nation, have visited Montauban and had the opportunity to meet, exchange ideas and even fraternize with our fellow citizens.

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Oklahoma Occitania

© Service Parcs & Jardins, Ville De Montauban (21)

Plant Garden

Heritage treasures