Osage Nation moves a step closer to reclaiming all of Sugarloaf Mound in St. Louis

A land transfer agreement announced in November 2024 brings the Osage Nation one step closer to reclaiming Sugarloaf Mound — the last remaining Mississippian mound in St. Louis — in its entirety. Osage artist Anita Fields and her son Nokosee Fields created "WayBack," a sculptural and musical installation, at the Sugarloaf Mound site as part of a Counterpublic arts exhibition in 2023. Fields speaks to what this recent agreement means for her as an Indigenous person, Osage citizen and artist. The conversation includes comments from former Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray, under whose leadership the first portion of Sugarloaf Mound was regained in 2009.