Louis F. Burns, a tribute

Louis F. Burns (Osage) descends from the Little Bear/Strike Axe band of Little Osages and the Tinker family. He holds a B.S. degree in education and an M.S. degree in history from Kansas State University, Emporia. He also did work toward a doctorate at the University of Southern California. Mr. Burns was born January 2, 1920 at Elgin, Kansas, the son of Robert Lee and Bessie (Tinker) Burns. Raised on a cattle ranch in the Osage Nation, he was one-eighth Osage/Kansas Indian. In 1945, he married the former Ruth Blake. At the time of her death in 2006, the Burns had been married for sixty-one years. Mr. Burns was a member of the Osage Mottled Eagle clan, named Hulah Kiheka (Eagle Chief), and member of the I’n Lon Schka Society. He was Knighted by Campanions of l’Hippocras (Chevalier de l’Hippocras du Therme). Mr. Burns is listed in the 27^th edition of Marquis, Who’s Who in the West, the 19^th edition of Marquis, Who’s Who in the World, and forthcoming Who’s Who in America. He is also listed in the British International Men of Achievement, Dictionary of International Biography, and 2,000 Outstanding Scholars of the Twentieth Century.

In 2002, Mr. Burns was inducted into the Oklahoma Historians Hall of Fame. A published author, Mr. Burns had thirteen books written on Osage subjects; was editor of two professional educational newsletters, had two articles published in the Chronicles of Oklahoma, and served as a feature writer for the Osage Nation News and Inside Osage. Louis had papers presented in 1989, 1992, 1997 and 1999 at the Plains Indian Seminar held at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, Wyoming. He was published in The Artist and the Missionary, “Missionaries, Fur Traders, and Osage Ribbon Work.” Two papers were presented at the Missouri Valley Historical Society conference at Omaha in 1996, and at the Oklahoma Historical Society Annual Meetings in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. Louis was very proud of his research work on the Osage Tribe and the publishing of his work. He enjoyed mentoring other researchers in the same fields.

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