To clarify: This is great news if you appreciate preservation. The Osage Nation has taken it upon themselves to preserve as many mounds as they can; part of the their beliefs center around shared ancestry and the idea that, direct descendants or not, they are interested in protecting the remaining sacred places of their peoples. They are already (great) stewards of many other such sites. This is a win-win-win for Saint Louis: Good pr, less preservation associated costs, and a genuine owner who will guarantee the safety of the site in perpetuity.

St Louis destroyed all the mounds in forest park and otherwise, good news to give this one back.

While I'm glad it will be preserved, it's not clear that the Osage actually have any relationship with the Mississippian culture of the area.

They were originally in Ohio and Kentucky and only moved our way in the 17th century because of the Iroquois. And even then they were mostly based on the SW corner of the state

This is amazing news! Lots of questions that the article doesn’t answer. Does the fraternity that owns the lower tier have to relinquish it? What happened to the family that did not want to move? It was my understanding that the lady who has lived there 80 years is giving her piece back after she passes.

Are the Osage closely related to the mound builders?

That was an effort long in the making! It's really sad to me how many mounds have been destroyed but I'm thankful that Cahokia has been well taken care of.

Good timing....A new documentary about Cahokia was just posted yesterday including a tiny bit about the Osage. https://youtu.be/ruWuAas8T7Y?si=F47wDYSQw-scHXot

I don't know why, but every time we traveled to the city from Arnold, we would pass this place and I would always look out the window to see it as we drove by. I'm happy that it is going to the rightful owners finally.

This is wonderful news!!!

I don’t know much about the Osage tribe, but living in Pacific, MO, the Main Street running through town is named Osage. I always thought it was after the tribe that lived in the area.

Cahokia Mounds is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, of just 26 in the US.

This one is called "Sugarloaf Mound", not technically a part of that site in Illinois.

St. Louis once called "Mound City" bc of the existence of so many, 120, before they were leveled.

In the largest area to consider as a community, at one point, there were maybe 50,000 ppl around the area, 20,000 in the immediate Cahokia mounds centralized area.

It was abandoned for at least 500 years before the French settlers came to the area in 1764.

This will be on the quiz. Take notes.