Martin Scorsese and Chief Standing Bear

Speaker - Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese is an American and Italian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He is the recipient of many major accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Directors Guild of America Awards.

Scorsese won the Palme d'Or at Cannes with his 1976 psychological thriller Taxi Driver, which starred Robert De Niro, who became associated with Scorsese through eight more films including New York, New York (1977), Raging Bull (1980) The King of Comedy (1982), Goodfellas (1990), and Casino (1995). In the following decades, he garnered box office success with a series of collaborations with Leonardo DiCaprio. These films include Gangs of New York (2002), The Aviator (2004), The Departed (2006), Shutter Island (2010) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). He reunited with De Niro with The Irishman (2019) and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), the latter also featuring DiCaprio.

In addition to film, Scorsese has directed episodes for some television series including the HBO series Boardwalk Empire (2011–2015), and Vinyl (2016), as well as the HBO documentary Public Speaking (2010), and the Netflix docu-series Pretend It's a City (2021). An advocate for film preservation and restoration, he founded three nonprofit organizations: The Film Foundation in 1990, the World Cinema Foundation in 2007, and the African Film Heritage Project in 2017. 

Speaker - Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear

Geoffrey Standing Bear is the Principal Chief of the Osage Nation. He is the great-grandson of Osage Principal Chief Fred Lookout. Chief Standing Bear and his wife Julie have four children and eight grandchildren.

Now, in his third term as Osage Nation Principal Chief, he continues the work of protecting and enhancing the Osage culture, language, and lands.

Before his election, Chief Standing Bear practiced law for 34 years. He concentrated on federal Indian law, receiving national recognition by Best Lawyers in America, Oklahoma Super Lawyers, and a listing with Chambers and Partners. He served as Assistant Principal Chief of the Osage Tribe from 1990 through 1994 and was a Member of the Osage Nation Congress from 2010 to 2014. While a practicing lawyer, he was involved in the first Indian gaming cases in Oklahoma, representing the Muscogee Creek Nation, Seneca-Cayuga Tribe, and several other tribes. He also was General Counsel to the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association.

In 2017, Chief Standing Bear was recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as an Oklahoman of the Year for his leadership of the Osage Nation. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma and received his Juris Doctor Degree from the University of Tulsa.

He sees the Osage Nation expanding its land base, maintaining its vibrant traditions, and returning the Osage language to daily use. His belief is that this and much more can be done through the power of the Osage child, and it is, therefore, the duty of all his people to protect and nurture the children of the Nation.

Additional Resources

• Excluded & Alone: Examining the Experiences of Native American Women in the Law and a Path Towards Equity
• U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and a Panel of Native American Women Trailblazers (ABA Presidential Speaker Series)
• National Native American Bar Association

_{The materials contained herein represent the opinions of the participants and should not be construed to be those of the American Bar Association unless adopted pursuant to the bylaws of the Association. Nothing contained herein is to be considered as the rendering of legal advice for specific cases, and the users of this website are responsible for obtaining such advice from their own legal counsel. These materials and any forms and agreements herein are intended for educational and informational purposes only.}