On Oscar nominations morning, as the contenders for the Best Original Song category were announced, many of the expected names made the cut, from past Academy Award winners Billie Eilish, Mark Ronson, and Jon Batiste, to perennial nominee Diane Warren. But the one big surprise, besting entries from stars like Olivia Rodrigo, Lenny Kravitz, and Halle Bailey with songs shortlisted, was “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” by the Osage Nation.
For a reminder of how it sounds, watch above an exclusive video of singer-songwriter Scott George performing the powerful “Killers of the Flower Moon” song at the Grammys Museum in Los Angeles, joined by the Osage Tribal Singers. The song is expected to be performed live at the Oscars on March 10.
Soundtracking the resonant final frames of Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which show an Osage ceremonial gathering that is rare for much of the audience to witness, the lyrics to “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” are simply “Wahzhazhe no-zhin te-tha-bey / Wa-kon-da they-tho gah-ka-bey,” which translates to “Osages, stand and be recognized / God made it for us.”
George, the first Osage writer to be nominated for an Oscar, said in a statement shared with IndieWire that “Wahzhazhe” is a call for the people of his tribe to “stand up and celebrate that we have survived and gotten this far with the help of our Creator.” After the film’s depiction of the Reign of Terror that befell the Osage Nation, the song at once shouts “We’re still here,” and encapsulates what music means for the tribe. “Our songs make people come together to dance, feel good, even heal. I prayed this song would bring about healing. A worldwide audience is seeing what happened to the Osage, and I hope people will learn from it,” said George.
Not only is the music collaborator on the Apple TV+ Oscar contender a longtime singer and composer within the Native American community, with a 40-year-plus career, but George specifically serves as head singer, while working on many Drumkeeper committees for decades.
With “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People),” George and the Osage Tribal Singers bring a historical Indigenous ceremonial performance to the global stage in a way it never has before. See their performance of the Oscar-nominated song from “Killers of the Flower Moon” above.
