2008 Medal Osage Nation Code Talkers Bronze 38mm

Coin Details

Description

This 38mm bronze medal honors the Osage Nation Code Talkers, members of the Osage people of northeastern Oklahoma who used the Osage language for military communications. The Osage Nation became famous in the 1920s as the wealthiest people per capita in the world due to the oil reserves beneath their reservation, but their history of military service extends far beyond this era of mineral wealth. Osage code talkers contributed their Dhegihan Siouan language — one of the most distinctive and least widely studied Native American languages — to the code talker effort. The obverse features a design reflecting Osage cultural traditions and honoring their code talker veterans. The Osage language, part of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan language family, has phonological features including pitch accent and a complex consonant system that make it especially difficult for non-speakers to learn or interpret. The Osage people's warrior traditions, their elaborate clan system, and their cultural emphasis on duty and service provided the social context within which code talker service was understood as a natural expression of Osage values. The reverse carries Code Talkers program inscriptions. The Osage Nation's prominence in American history — from their domination of the Central Plains to the oil boom era documented in David Grann's "Killers of the Flower Moon" — provides rich context for the code talker recognition, acknowledging yet another dimension of Osage contributions to American history.

Rarity Notes

Bronze duplicate medal, 38mm. Code Talkers Recognition Act of 2008 series.

Cross References

PCGS #910595; Code Talkers 2008; Osage Nation; Dhegihan Siouan language; Oklahoma