Osage Singers Nominated For Oscar For Performance In 'Killers Of The Flower Moon'

One of the biggest nights in Hollywood is coming up this Sunday. The Oscars will be a big night for the cast and crew of Killers of the Flower Moon.

The movie, shot here in Oklahoma, has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Song. 

The beat of a drum is the driving force behind this moving song performed by members of the Osage Nation in Washington D.C. this January.

"It's simple but powerful," said drummer and singer Vann Bighorse.

He’s part of the group that sang the song featured at the end of Killers of the Flower Moon, now nominated for best original song. 

"Telling our Osage People to stand up and be recognized. We want people to know that we're alive and well. We're thriving. And to hold your head up and be proud of who you are," said Bighorse. 

Sharing Osage Culture with the world is important to Bighorse and Chief Geoffrey Standingbear. They want to share this fame with the tribe’s ancestors. 

"We know that the people who taught them how to sing would have been proud as well. And those of us who have been around a while know those singers of the past years, and they would just be really excited like I am,” said Chief Standing Bear. 

Not only is the song nominated for an Oscar, but it will also be performed on stage at the awards ceremony, with millions of people from around the world watching.

"There is a part of me that has done this for so long that it doesn't really bother me to sing in front of a crowd. But I guess this is a little bit different crowd," says the song creator Scott George.

The song's creator, Scott George, was challenged by Martin Scorsese to create a unique piece that encapsulates the Osage.

"I called it Wahzhazhe, which is the name we call ourselves." 

George’s song is going up against some big names in the Hollywood music scene, but Vann Bighorse knows they have something special.

"Here we are with just our drum, and drumsticks and our voice. That's all we have. And to me, that's what makes it unique," says Bighorse.