Killers of the Flower Moon

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“A Memorial for the Victims of the Osage Murders”

In this activity, students will design a symbolic memorial for the Osage murder victims.

Between 1921 and 1925, more than 60 members of the Osage Nation disappeared, were murdered, or died under mysterious circumstances. Several white individuals who attempted to solve the murders died as well. Your task is to design a memorial for the victims. Using the text and the resources included in this guide, consider what the victims had in common and what might be the most appropriate way to honor their memory. Here are some helpful suggestions as you determine an appropriate, symbolic design for the memorial:

• Annotate your text to gather the names of the victims. Consider if you would like to highlight any individuals as a part of the memorial or if all should be honored together.
• What did the victims have in common? Did they share any values or rights? How can these be reflected symbolically in the memorial? Will you include non-Osage victims in any way?
• Consider what the memorial should look like and how it will function in its setting. Study images of examples such as the Vietnam Memorial, The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and others. Choose a design that is appropriate in representing the Osage people.  
• In the medium of your choice, create a model for your memorial. Include written captions and labels to explain components as needed for display.
• Include a structured, detailed paragraph that explains your design elements and choices. Connect your symbols and representative design elements to the narrative’s details and information.

Teaching Suggestion: Students might choose to make 3-D models, draw blueprints, create paintings, or design computer images of what their memorials might look like. It would be beneficial for students to first consider where the memorial might be located in terms of landscape, land use, visitor needs, and symbolic value.

• A gallery walk might be an appropriate way to share memorial models and present design rationales.
• “The Rare Archival Photos Behind Killers of the Flower Moon” is an Atlas Obscura article focused on the victims. (Content Warning: Includes photos that show the aftermath of violence)

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The crimes committed during the Osage Reign of Terror took place during Prohibition, when criminal activity and corruption were rampant in many parts of the US.

• What general influence did Prohibition have on the public’s attitude toward law enforcement at the time? (topic sentence)
• To support your topic sentence, analyze and discuss at least 3 examples from the text that demonstrate how public perception of law enforcement changed during Prohibition.
• In your closing sentence or sentences, briefly summarize how the Bureau’s work in Osage reinforced the rule of law.

2. During the years represented by the narrative, white people held harmful misconceptions about Indigenous groups; this contributed to the helplessness of the victims.

• What stereotype about Indigenous people like Osage members was most harmful in the context of the conflict inherent to this narrative? (topic sentence)
• To support your topic sentence, analyze and discuss at least 3 examples from the text in which racist views of Indigenous beliefs or customs contributed to conflict.
• In your conclusion, briefly speculate on the ways in which the conflict might have been different without the existence of the stereotype in question.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. When convicted of murder, John Ramsey stated that “white people in Oklahoma thought no more of killing an Indian than they did in 1724.” Grann presents many figures who demonstrate racism and prejudice against the Osage members. Which key figures most strongly epitomize the Anti-Indigenous Racism and Prejudice and The Corrupting Effect of Money, and in what ways? To support your claims, refer to details and quoted phrases in the text, cited in the style your instructor suggests.

2. Consider the various qualities displayed by a person who is considered heroic. Is Tom White a hero? Did he accomplish what he set out to do at the beginning of his task? Make a strong claim and use textual evidence for support.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Which statement best describes the Bureau’s attitude toward local law enforcement when they arrived in Osage County, Oklahoma?

A) Many local police officers were former Bureau agents, and they were familiar with one another.

B) The Bureau knew that the local agents were corrupt and consequently kept their work undercover.

C) The two law enforcement agencies worked closely together to compare evidence and set up stings.

D) The Bureau had jurisdictional authority over any local police force and only consulted them when it served their purposes.

2. Why does Grann include Chapter 4, in which he explains how the US government and Osage nation negotiated the land allotment for the tribe?

A) To show another in a long line of broken treaties between the government and Osage

B) To describe the oil-rich Oklahoma land that the Osage selected to be their home

C) To add a contrasting theory about why the Osage were able to strike oil there

D) To reveal the unique circumstances that led to Osage citizens owning headrights

3. Read this sentence from Chapter 6:

“Journalists told stories, often wildly embroidered, of Osage who discarded grand pianos on their lawns or replaced old cars with new ones after getting a flat tire.” What is the meaning of the word “embroidered” in this sense?

A) Sewn

B) Embellished

C) Decorated

D) Printed

2. What did WW Vaughn’s murder prove to investigators about the Osage Reign of Terror?

A) The perpetrators discovered new sophisticated ways of making people vanish.

B) A single person was responsible for the entire conspiracy.

C) Members of the Bureau of Investigation were involved in some of the murders.

D) The murder victims were not only members of the Osage population.

3. What type of image did J. Edgar Hoover want to cultivate for his agents in the Bureau of Investigation?

A) That of rough-and-ready street cops who weren’t afraid of a fight

B) That of the freewheeling Texas Rangers, who shot first and asked questions later

C) That of tidy, college-educated professionals who spoke quietly and missed nothing

D) That of mysterious secret agents who answered only to the whims of their leader

4. Which values did Tom White’s father model for his son?

A) Justice and lawfulness

B) Creativity and curiosity

C) Self-reliance and boldness

D) Tranquility and peace

5. Which of the following is the strongest example of the theme of The Pull of the Past on the Present in the novel?

A) Martha Vaughn cried with relief when the identity of her grandfather’s likely murderer was confirmed.

B) The detectives separated Hale from Burkhart on the correct assumption that Burkhart would be the first to crack.

C) The agents that J. Edgar Hoover chose to head up the Osage case were known as “Cowboys.”

D) Hale freely turned himself in to the police office once he learned he was wanted by the police.

6. Which of the following causes allowed some murders of the Osage Nation to go by without detection?

A) The Bureau investigators tasked with finding the culprits were corrupt.

B) The bullet used in the murder of Anna Burkhart was never found.

C) Some of the victims were poisoned over long periods of time.

D) Newfound wealth from the oil industry led to risky behavior among victims.

7. Which best describes William Hale’s status when he arrived in Oklahoma?

A) He was a decorated war hero.

B) He was a penniless cowboy.

C) He was a wealthy businessman.

D) He was a wanted murderer.

8. What did William Hale’s behavior after he learns he is wanted by the police suggest about him?

A) He was innocent of all charges against him.

B) He was ready to offer a full confession.

C) He didn’t believe he will be convicted.

D) He planned to plead not guilty by reason of insanity.

9. Why weren’t Osage people allowed to manage their own money?

A) They were deemed “incompetent” by the United States government.

B) They had spiritual prohibitions against the spending of white people’s money.

C) Their fortunes were tied up in lawsuits that took years to settle.

D) It was the result of the settlement going back to the Louisiana Purchase.

10. What justice did William Hale face during his lifetime?

A) He was found not guilty of all charges, so he faced no legal justice.

B) He confessed to the crimes and served a full jail sentence.

C) He maintained his innocence and served a partial sentence before parole.

D) He asserted his innocence despite being convicted to life in prison, where he died.

11. How is the third section of the book, “The Journalist,” stylistically different from the first two?

A) It changes point of view to that of a murdered Osage citizen.

B) It tells the story from the white criminals’ point of view.

C) It includes David Grann himself as a figure in the narrative.

D) It makes historical allusions to important Osage events.

12. According to Killers of the Flower Moon, what is the main reason so many Osage murders were able to go unpunished for so long?

A) Corrupt Washington politicians

B) Ineffective police work of the day

C) The ghastly efficiency of the murderers

D) General anti-Indigenous racism

13. Which best describes the key figure of Mollie Burkhart?

A) Criminal

B) Passive

C) Unsuspecting

D) Courageous

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. Explain the title of this book. What does the Flower Moon represent? Who are the killers, and who or what are they targeting?

2. Assess the role of Ernest Burkhart both in the murders of members of the Osage Nation and the delivery of justice for those guilty of their murders—including himself. Was he able to redeem himself for his actions? Do you feel that the community forgave him at all?