---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was getting so that you could not bury…"
description: "\"“It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian at a cost of under $6,000”—a sum that, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of nearly $..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg"
---

#  It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian…

![“It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian at a cost of under $6,000”—a sum that, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of nearly $80,000 today. The” quote by David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg)

> ““It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian at a cost of under $6,000”—a sum that, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of nearly $80,000 today. The””

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage highlights the extreme cost of burying an Osage Indian, reflecting historic exploitation and economic injustice.

**In simple terms:** Historical exploitation made burial costs exorbitant.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge past injustices and their lasting impact.

Themes

history injustice economics indigenous rights

Mood

reflective somber

Type

historical educational

When to use this quote

- historical research
- museum curation
- policy reform
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

colonial exploitation economic disparity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this cost reveal about power?
- How can we address historical wrongs today?

A Different Perspective

Limited context may obscure broader systemic issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Over the next two decades, the Osage were forced to cede nearly a hundred million acres of their ancestral land, ultimately finding refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/over-the-next-two-decades-the-osage-were-forced-to-cede-nearly-a/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Many Osage, unlike other wealthy Americans, could not spend their money as they pleased because of the federally imposed system of financial guardians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/many-osage-unlike-other-wealthy-americans-could-not-spend-their-money/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“One government study estimated that before 1925 guardians had pilfered at least $8 million directly from the restricted accounts of their Osage wards. “The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/one-government-study-estimated-that-before-1925-guardians-had/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The crooked guardians and administrators of Osage estates were typically among the most prominent white citizens:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-crooked-guardians-and-administrators-of-osage-estates-were/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The historian Burns once wrote, “To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-historian-burns-once-wrote-to-believe-that-the-osages-survived/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The official death toll of the Osage Reign of Terror had climbed to at least twenty-four members of the tribe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-official-death-toll-of-the-osage-reign-of-terror-had-climbed-to/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [The public, the whites - not just in Oklahoma, but across the United States - were transfixed by the Osage wealth which belied images…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-public-the-whites-not-just-in-oklahoma-but-across-the-united/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“But within four years Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River. The Osage chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/but-within-four-years-jefferson-had-compelled-the-osage-to-relinquish/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“A prominent member of the Osage tribe put the matter more bluntly: "It is a question in my mind whether this jury is considering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/a-prominent-member-of-the-osage-tribe-put-the-matter-more-bluntly-it/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The Osage had been assured by the U.S. government that their Kansas territory would remain their home forever, but before long they were under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-osage-had-been-assured-by-the-u-s-government-that-their-kansas/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [Median wages of production workers, who comprise 80 percent of the workforce, haven't risen in 30 years, adjusted for inflation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/median-wages-of-production-workers-who-comprise-80-percent-of-the/)

[Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/)

> [“The best available apples-to-apples comparison of inflation-adjusted earnings shows what the typical fully employed man earned back in the 1970s and what that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/the-best-available-apples-to-apples-comparison-of-inflation-adjusted/)

[Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/)

> [Americans of all ages are earning less than they did two decades ago when adjusted for inflation. Yet they’re paying more in taxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-black/americans-of-all-ages-are-earning-less-than-they-did-two-decades-ago/)

Simon Black

> [An Osage tribal study found that between $41 million to $50 million left a 50-mile radius around their own casino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/an-osage-tribal-study-found-that-between-41-million-to-50-million/)

[John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/)

## More by David Grann

> [“To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been possible to salvage has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/to-believe-that-the-osages-survived-intact-from-their-ordeal-is-a/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Over the next two decades, the Osage were forced to cede nearly a hundred million acres of their ancestral land, ultimately finding refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/over-the-next-two-decades-the-osage-were-forced-to-cede-nearly-a/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Only in the mid-nineteenth century, after the growth of industrial cities and a rash of urban riots—after dread of the so-called dangerous classes surpassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/only-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-after-the-growth-of-industrial/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [I look for stories everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-look-for-stories-everywhere/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Emmett White became a firm, even unyielding, sheriff. Still, he showed remarkable consideration toward the people in his custody and insisted on making arrests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/emmett-white-became-a-firm-even-unyielding-sheriff-still-he-showed/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [My mother doesn't need much sleep. At any hour of the night, you'd wake up, and she'd be reading. She'd read five, six books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/my-mother-doesn-t-need-much-sleep-at-any-hour-of-the-night-you-d-wake/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [The way we live history is not the way historians tell history. Our lives are messy and chaotic and bewildering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-way-we-live-history-is-not-the-way-historians-tell-history-our/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Fawcett, who had always found refuge in the natural world, no longer recognized the wilderness of bombed-out villages, denuded trees, craters, and sunbaked skeletons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/fawcett-who-had-always-found-refuge-in-the-natural-world-no-longer/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Does God think that, because it is raining, I am not going to destroy the world? - Lope de Aguirre after going mad in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/does-god-think-that-because-it-is-raining-i-am-not-going-to-destroy/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“In 1804, a delegation of Osage chiefs met with Jefferson at the White House. He told the navy secretary that the Osage, whose warriors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/in-1804-a-delegation-of-osage-chiefs-met-with-jefferson-at-the-white/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [A lot of the stuff I tweet is out of childlike curiosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/a-lot-of-the-stuff-i-tweet-is-out-of-childlike-curiosity/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Instead, the terrain looked like Nebraska—perpetual plains that faded into the horizon. When I asked Taukane where the forest was, he said, simply, “Gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/instead-the-terrain-looked-like-nebraska-perpetual-plains-that-faded/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [I covered Congress, and everyone always wanted me to be a political reporter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/i-covered-congress-and-everyone-always-wanted-me-to-be-a-political/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [For a while, when I got out of college, I tried to write fiction. I'd grown up more around novelists, and my initial attraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/for-a-while-when-i-got-out-of-college-i-tried-to-write-fiction-i-d/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [One of the nice things about 'The New Yorker' is they let you write stories that sometimes end up almost half a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/one-of-the-nice-things-about-the-new-yorker-is-they-let-you-write/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

[Explore all 160 David Grann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

## More Osage quotes

> [“Over the next two decades, the Osage were forced to cede nearly a hundred million acres of their ancestral land, ultimately finding refuge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/over-the-next-two-decades-the-osage-were-forced-to-cede-nearly-a/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“A prominent member of the Osage tribe put the matter more bluntly: "It is a question in my mind whether this jury is considering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/a-prominent-member-of-the-osage-tribe-put-the-matter-more-bluntly-it/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“But within four years Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River. The Osage chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/but-within-four-years-jefferson-had-compelled-the-osage-to-relinquish/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [An Osage tribal study found that between $41 million to $50 million left a 50-mile radius around their own casino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warren-kindt/an-osage-tribal-study-found-that-between-41-million-to-50-million/)

[John Warren Kindt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warren-kindt/)

> [The public, the whites - not just in Oklahoma, but across the United States - were transfixed by the Osage wealth which belied images…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-public-the-whites-not-just-in-oklahoma-but-across-the-united/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The official death toll of the Osage Reign of Terror had climbed to at least twenty-four members of the tribe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-official-death-toll-of-the-osage-reign-of-terror-had-climbed-to/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The historian Burns once wrote, “To believe that the Osages survived intact from their ordeal is a delusion of the mind. What has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-historian-burns-once-wrote-to-believe-that-the-osages-survived/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The crooked guardians and administrators of Osage estates were typically among the most prominent white citizens:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-crooked-guardians-and-administrators-of-osage-estates-were/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“One government study estimated that before 1925 guardians had pilfered at least $8 million directly from the restricted accounts of their Osage wards. “The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/one-government-study-estimated-that-before-1925-guardians-had/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“Many Osage, unlike other wealthy Americans, could not spend their money as they pleased because of the federally imposed system of financial guardians.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/many-osage-unlike-other-wealthy-americans-could-not-spend-their-money/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

> [“The Osage had been assured by the U.S. government that their Kansas territory would remain their home forever, but before long they were under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/the-osage-had-been-assured-by-the-u-s-government-that-their-kansas/)

[David Grann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/)

Browse all 12 Osage quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian at a cost of under $6,000”—a sum that, adjusted for inflation, is the equivalent of nearly $80,000 today. The”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Grann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bury-an-osage-indian-at-a-cost/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Osage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bury-an-osage-indian-at-a-cost/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/david-grann-2569_osage_it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bur_609322.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was getting so that you could not bury an Osage Indian at a cost of under $6,000”—a sum that, adjusted…” — David Grann",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "David Grann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was getting so that you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bury-an-osage-indian-at-a-cost/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grann/it-was-getting-so-that-you-could-not-bury-an-osage-indian-at-a-cost/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
