Osage Headright Distribution and Probates

Osage Headrights (oil royalties from the Osage Indian Mineral Estate) are distributed quarterly. They cannot be bought or sold, and may only be distributed at death a) by a trust approved by the Superintendent of the Osage Agency, b) by an Osage's last will approved by the Superintendent and then probated only by the Osage County District Court sitting in Pawhuska, or c) by intestate succession (where no last will) also to be probated only in Pawhuska.

If you are a member of the Osage Nation, and doing estate planning involving headrights or other restricted property interests, contact the Osage Agency in Pawhuska about creating a trust with approval of the Superintendent.

If a family member of yours has passed away holding an Osage Headright interest, it is important to have an attorney, experienced in handling the probating of Osage Headrights, help you through the process. The Osage County District Court is the only court in the world with jurisdiction to probate headrights and other restricted properties held by Osage Indians.

We routinely handle the probating of Osage Headrights. If you have any questions about probating Osage Headrights, or related estate planning, give us a call at (918) 287-8762.

Here are examples of Osage Indian Headright Final Decrees in probates handled by Holcombe Law and held before the Osage County District Court, Osage County, Pawhuska, Oklahoma. These are all publicly available records of the Osage County District Court Clerk but some information (e.g., addresses of distributees, IIM cash balances at distribution, and headright percentage interests being distributed) are [REDACTED] here:

1. Jack Lee Barber Final Decree - PB-2019-129

2. Joyce Marie Keahbone Final Decree - PB-2023-158

3. Shirley Anne Holmes Final Decree - PB-2019-96

4. Mary Louise Powell Final Decree - PB-2021-22

5. Charlene V. Potter Final Decree - PB-2022-51

6. Warren Fredrick Collins Final Decree - PB-2022-72

7. Nancy Louise Lazelle Final Decree - PB-2022-36

8. Francis Scott Simpson Final Decree - PB-2022-88

9. Quinton Townsend Cheshewalla Final Decree - PB-2022-133

10. Bret Hurley Lewis Final Decree - PB-2023-70

Again, these are representative examples of the many final orders issued in Osage Indian Headright probates and handled by Holcombe Law over the last several years.

Want to know about the history of the Osage Nation and how the original allottees came to receive oil royalties (i.e., headrights)? See the Martin Scorcese film, Killers of the Flower Moon.