Latest news with #Osage
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Little House on the Prairie' reboot adds Jocko Sims as the Ingalls' real-life doctor
The cast of Netflix's Little House on the Prairie reboot continues to grow, and Jocko Sims just joined as a character whom fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's book series will remember. The New Amsterdam star will play Dr. George Tann, described by Netflix as "a generous and kind-hearted man with a charming bedside manner that makes him a connector within the community." Sims' character is based on the real-life Dr. Tann, who Wilder wrote about in her 1935 autobiographical novel Little House on the Prairie. According to the official LHOP website, Dr. Tann treated the Ingalls family when they all were stricken with malaria in Kansas. In addition to Sims, Netflix announced five more cast members: Warren Christie as John Edwards, a Civil War veteran from Tennessee; Meegwun Fairbrother as Mitchell, a farmer with "the most impressive homestead in the county"; Alyssa Wapanatǎhk as White Sun, Mitchell's wife; Wren Zhawenim Gotts as Good Eagle, daughter of Mitchell and White Sun; and Xander Cole as Little Puma, White Sun's younger brother, who "loves his big sister but also loves getting under her skin." Described by the streamer as "part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West," Little House on the Prairie will follow the Ingalls family and the Osage tribe members they encounter while living in Kansas. Earlier this month, Netflix revealed that Alice Halsey (Lessons in Chemistry) will play Laura Ingalls in the reboot, alongside Luke Bracey (Little Fires Everywhere) as Charles, Crosby Fitzgerald (Palm Royale) as Caroline, and Skywalker Hughes (I, Object) as Mary. While former Fox News host Megyn Kelly — who vowed to "destroy" the reboot if it was too "woke" — may not be pleased by the diverse cast, TV's original Half-Pint, Melissa Gilbert, is all for the new interpretation of Wilders' work. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly in February about Netflix's reboot, Gilbert suggested that the series would be able "to do things that we didn't get to do necessarily so easily in the '70s," especially when it comes to casting. "They can make an actual point of hiring Native American actors to play the Native Americans, which we didn't do. We were certainly inclusive and open to it, but it wasn't a prerequisite," Gilbert said. "And now they can look at it with a new lens and say, 'This part should be played by Native American actors.' Bring in Dr. Tann, the actual Black doctor who treated the Ingalls family. Bring all of these people in and tell the story." Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, Vampire Diaries) will serve as showrunner for Little House on the Prairie, which does not yet have a release date. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Missouri family heirloom identified as rare Native American artifact
FAYETTEVILLE, AR – What started as a family heirloom in a Missouri home has now been identified as one of the rarest pre-contact Native American artifacts ever brought to the University of Arkansas Museum. An ancient seed bag, believed to be several hundred, if not thousands, of years old, was officially donated on May 5 to the University of Arkansas Museum by a southwest Missouri family. Archaeologists describe it as one of the best-preserved organic artifacts ever to emerge from the region. 'It was just really exciting to see because, like I'd mentioned earlier, those kinds of organic remains are very, very rare,' Mel Zabecki, Arkansas state archaeologist, said. 'I was surprised and just excited to see something new and very, very well preserved. It was just beautifully preserved, it looked like it was made yesterday.' The ancient seed bag was originally discovered in the Missouri Ozarks near a bluff shelf—small natural caves in rock formations, in the 1960s by a Dry Hollow resident, Andy Juel. The rare artifact had been preserved in a glass jar for over six decades and was passed down to his granddaughter, Jess Mayberry, before being donated to the museum. In an email, Mayberry wrote, 'I adored this bag growing up, and when I noticed the seeds starting to fall out, I feared that we weren't doing our best to preserve it. And if we didn't act, we could lose it.' Community servant, father of seven among victims killed in St. Louis storms Mayberry wanted to donate the bag to the University of Arkansas Museum, even though it was found in Missouri, 'due to its heavy research in fibers, native artifacts, and the fact the bag was found closer to its campus and the shelters in which the university has study.' 'I've only been here at the survey for 10 years, and even people that have been here for 35 years say, 'Wow, that is the nicest thing that's come through,'' Zabecki said. According to Mayberry's husband, Matt Hoemann, the woven bag still contained ancient seeds and several stone tools, and is believed to be a rare example of pre-contact Native American craftsmanship. Experts say it likely came from a period when bluff shelters were actively used by Indigenous communities in the Ozarks, potentially placing its age anywhere between 500 and 2,000 years. According to Zabecki, bluff shelters provide the ideal dry and stable conditions needed to preserve delicate organic materials that would normally decay in the region's humid climate. After comparing it to records and artifacts stored at the museum, researchers believe the Missouri bag could be culturally connected to the Osage tribe. Although the bag has been donated to the museum, Zabecki explains that it is being held temporarily while the museum works to contact the Osage tribe to determine how they would like to proceed with the artifact. 'It feels as if I return something that was lost,' Mayberry wrote. 'Although I always enjoyed looking at the bag in the glass jar, it is nothing compared to the feeling I get knowing I return something that could piece together some history or complete a story.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Newsweek
25-04-2025
- Science
- Newsweek
Hiker Goes on Trail, Unprepared for What They Find During Walk: 'Scared'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A post about a peculiar green, bumpy ball spotted on a trail by a hiker has gone viral on Reddit. An image of the bizarre finding was shared in a post by u/Bruh61502, which has amassed over 17,000 upvotes since it was uploaded onto the r/whatisit subreddit on April 22. The post was titled: "I found this thing walking along a trail. WTF [what the f***] is this?? I was scared to touch it." The image shows a lime-colored, brain-like object nestled among leaves. Food scientist Bryan Quoc Le is the author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered: Cook Smarter, Cook Better and founder of Mendocino Food Consulting. He told Newsweek that the mystery object in the Reddit post is the fruit of the Osage orange tree. The Osage orange, whose scientific name is Maclura pomifera, is a deciduous tree native to the southern United States. Though not typically consumed due to its bitter taste and tough texture, the tree's fruit, bark and wood have long intrigued scientists and naturalists alike. The food scientist said the Osage orange "is commonly found natively in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, and Arkansas. But they are grown all throughout the contiguous United States as part of decorative hedges and landscape design." Le added that it is not unusual to find the fruit in an open area along a trail. "They often grow at the edge of woods and rivers, so it would make sense for the tree to be found by a cleared trail, where there would be plenty of sun to grow," he said. "It's possible that an animal may have tried to eat it and carried it further into an open clearing on the trail, away from the mother tree," Le added, noting that "while technically edible, the fruit is very bitter, and few animals consume it." The tree is notable not just for its unusual fruit but also for its resilience. "These are hardy plants that can withstand very serious drought conditions, icy weather, and windstorms," the food scientist said. "The wood is termite-resistant and decay-resistant. Many compounds are found in the bark, wood, and fruit, some of which can be used as antifungal agents or as a food preservative." Historically, the Osage orange tree played a practical role in American agriculture. "The trees were historically used as hedges on the American prairies," Le added. Despite their unappetizing taste and tough texture, Osage orange fruits may still offer surprising benefits. A September 2024 study published in Fitoterapia found that extracts from the fruit "exhibit a range of useful properties to combat human pathologies" and "contain potent antioxidant compounds." The study suggests that these extracts have pharmacological potential in both human and veterinary medicine. Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system. Stock image: An Osage orange fruit lays on rocky terrain. Stock image: An Osage orange fruit lays on rocky terrain. iStock / Getty Images Plus Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
From stage to page: A Chicago poet honors her prima ballerina mother and Osage heritage
CHICAGO (WGN) — Some believe destiny is whispered through the wind. Among the tall grass of Oklahoma's Osage Tribal Reservation, many stories slip between its reeds. Some stories are about wealth, greed and murder, but one is of a mother and daughter who would make certain the world wouldn't forget the elders who lived it. Elise Paschen is an enrolled member of the Osage Nation. She is the author of six poetry collections, gracefully penning the words her ancestors once spoke. Forced relocation to reservations in Fairfax, Oklahoma, was deadly for Osage Indians. Oil was discovered on the reservation, and headrights, or royalty payments from the oil produced, were given to those in the tribe. What followed was a period known as the Osage 'Reign of Terror' when as many as hundreds of Osage Indians were reportedly murdered by outsiders hoping to gain control over the valuable assets. 'The year my mother was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma, white men were marrying Osage women and killing them for their headrights,' Paschen said. 'My mother was born a year after the Indian Citizenship Act was passed.' The hallway outside her Chicago home displays framed photos of Paschen in graduation tassels from Harvard and Oxford, clippings of her work in Poetry Magazine, and a faded Newseek Magazine featuring the first U.S. prima ballerina – an icon Paschen knew as 'mother.' 'My mother, the prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief, grew up on the Osage reservation,' she said. As a child, Paschen watched her mother dance across the world's most prestigious stages. 'Standing in the wings and watching my mother perform and turn into these amazing creatures, into Cinderella, a swan queen, a firebird… then she'd come out of the wings, and she'd be panting and catching her breath and mopping her brow,' Paschen said. But it wouldn't be until years later that Paschen realized her mother's greatest act was refusing to let the world trim her name to fit their tongue. 'They wanted her to change her name to Maria Tallchief,' Paschen said. Ignoring the headline 'Red Skin Dances at the Opera,' Maria demanded the playbill proudly reflect her Osage name. 'It was huge that she held onto her last name and didn't succumb to the Russian influence,' she said. While her mother danced out her identity, it was words, not movement that called Paschen. She began to write about the sepia pictures hanging in the hall, braiding a beat of generations with her own coming of age. When Maria Tallchief took her final bow, passing in the presence of her daughter in 2013, Paschen knew their art, though different, pulsed with the same purpose. 'Nothing gives me greater pleasure than writing a poem,' she said. This week, Paschen released her latest collection of poems titled 'Blood Wolf Moon,' a moving dance of words in both English and Osage Orthography. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The Rock to co-author true crime book about Hawaii mob boss to be adapted by Martin Scorsese
The actor Dwayne Johnson, who began his career as wrestler The Rock, is to co-author a nonfiction book about a Hawaii crime syndicate in the 1960s and 1970s. Writing on Instagram, Johnson said he was 'super grateful to co-author my next project (a nonfiction book) with award-winning investigative journalist, @NickBilton. 'Nick and I have worked on this for months now, with many more months of work ahead of us – this has already been such an unbelievable, inspiring and eye-opening experience.' Crown, the Penguin House imprint, has acquired rights to the as yet untitled book, which will 'serve as an inspiration' for a film directed by Martin Scorsese, which is being scripted by Bilton and Johnson. Johnson will co-star with his Jungle Cruise collaborator Emily Blunt, as well as Leonardo DiCaprio. The book will chronicle 'the extraordinary story of the rise and fall of Hawaii's most notorious crime syndicate, The Company, led by Wilford 'Nappy' Pulawa, the first and only Hawaiian mob boss in history'. As well as echoing the themes of some of Scorsese's best-known gangster films, the story appears to also share common ground with his most recent fictional feature, Killers of the Flower Moon, about the plight of the Osage people in 1920s America. The new book, says a statement, 'aims to shed light not only on this chapter of American history but on Hawaii's systematic theft by outsiders through the lens of this unique era.' Said Johnson: 'This isn't just a gangster story – it's about power, identity, and what was taken from the Hawaiian people. What drew me to this project wasn't just the action and the intensity. My own family lived through parts of this era, and I've seen first-hand the complicated legacy it left behind. Telling this story is a way to honour our Polynesian culture, and honour where we come from and share the untold history of what really happened in paradise. 'My formative years were spent growing up in Honolulu, Hawai'i and this story is very personal – the more exhaustive research we do and people we speak to – the more I shake my head at how wildly and profoundly connected we all were. And still are.' Johnson made his nonfiction debut with a 2000 memoir, The Rock Says … which chronicles his pre-Hollywood life as well as sharing extensive life lessons and mottoes. Now 52, Johnson is one of the most financially successful film stars of all time thanks to his work on the Fast & Furious franchise and Disney's Moana animations. His next film project is The Smashing Machine, an A24 sports biopic from Uncut Gems' Benny Safdie in which he plays MMA fighter Mark Kerr, with Blunt playing his wife, Dawn.
