The Osage Ceremonial Dance

I'n-Lon-Schka

Plot

In English, I’n-Lon-Schka means "playground of the eldest son." The dance, in which women are allowed only a peripheral role, celebrates traditional masculine values while helping to break down factionalism and feuding within the tribe. The participants, who now number in the hundreds, assemble each June in three Oklahoma communities-Pawhuska, Hominy, and Grayhorse-where the Dance Chairmen, the Drumkeeper (an eldest son of the tribe), and the dance organization have been preparing for the dance throughout the year. The I’n-Lon-Schka is religious in content and continues to establish conduct and ways of living for tribal members.