Counterpublic and the Osage Nation announce the historic land transfer of Sugarloaf Mound
Following three years of negotiations, this marks the City of St. Louis’ first public acknowledgement of the sovereignty of the Osage Nation with ancestral rights to this sacred site.
Counterpublic—an art and civic impact organization in St. Louis—and the Osage Nation are honored to announce a historic land transfer agreement for Sugarloaf Mound, the last intact Mississippian mound and oldest human-made structure located within the City of St. Louis. The announcement marks a major milestone in Counterpublic’s three-year effort to rematriate the entirety of the mound to the Osage Nation. Accompanying the transfer is a first of its kind resolution by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen at a public event, to be announced at a future date, marking the City’s first public acknowledgement of the sovereignty of the Osage Nation with ancestral rights to this sacred site.
Sugarloaf Mound is the last remaining intact mound in the City of St. Louis, which has historically been known as “Mound City” due to the hundred-plus mounds present prior to European settlement of the city. Located on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, Sugarloaf was one of the most prominent markers of the Mississippian mound builders, ancestors of the Osage Nation. The Osage, forcibly removed to their present tribal reservation in Pawhuska, Oklahoma—subject of the recent film Killers of the Flower Moon—have long been working towards the preservation of the mound. In 2009, the Osage Nation purchased the first section of the mound, subsequently dismantling the home and doing initial stabilization of the site. Now in this historic breakthrough, remaining owners are agreeing to be a part of the rematriation process.
Dr. Andrea Hunter, Director of the Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office, which identifies, protects, and preserves archaeological and historic Osage sites, states, “In 2009, Osage Nation Principal Chief Jim Gray and I spearheaded efforts for education and community support for this important preservation opportunity. After many months of planning, organization, and negotiation, the Osage Nation put Sugarloaf Mound back in native hands. Now, through collaborative partnerships and the good will of the previous owner, the Osage Nation comes another step closer to restoring this sacred site as it should be preserved.”
The accompanying Board Resolution, sponsored by Alderwoman Cara Spencer, will recognize the sovereignty of the Osage Nation and support their Sugarloaf Mound Preservation Plan for the first time in the City’s history. Spencer adds that “When the French began construction of what is now St. Louis, there were hundreds of Native American mounds. Sugarloaf Mound is the last of these mounds remaining and the oldest man-made structure in St. Louis. The work the Osage Nation and Counterpublic are doing to preserve this mound represents our last chance to ensure this important part of our community’s past isn’t lost forever.” As a city that forcibly removed Native persons systematically through its settlement, and was responsible for the destruction of dozens of sacred mound sites, the historic gesture is a welcome one towards repairing these legacies and inviting Native ancestors, including the Osage, back to the region. “I am proud to celebrate this historic next step in returning Sugarloaf Mound to the Osage Nation for long-term preservation through a partnership with Counterpublic," adds Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
The effort to return Sugarloaf Mound has been a cornerstone of Counterpublic’s efforts since the organization’s 2023 city-wide triennial exhibition and underscores their unique model of connecting art and civic investment towards generational change. The transfer process has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, and offers a new national model for returning land to Indigenous peoples as a more profound form of commemoration within conversations around public memory. As part of Counterpublic 2023, which focused on reparative futures—how histories can be told, held and healed—curator Risa Puleo and artist collective New Red Order worked at the invitation of the Osage Nation to activate the mound publicly with programming for the first time, featuring artworks responding to the site, including an installation by Osage artists Anita and Nokosee Fields,as well as native artists Anna Tsouhlarakis and New Red Order throughout the three-month exhibition.
Homeowner Joan Heckenberg stands in front of her house on Sugarloaf Mound. Photograph by Jennifer Colten. Courtesy of Counterpublic.
Alongside the Osage Nation Historic Preservation Office, Counterpublic Artistic and Executive Director James McAnally stewarded the rematriation process with private owner Joan Heckenberg, an 86-year-old resident who has lived atop the mound for over eighty years. McAnally says: “Working to return and preserve Sugarloaf Mound with the Osage Nation has been a transformative experience. I have spent countless days with a constellation of property owners, lawyers, artists, politicians, preservationists, archeologists, and historians to piece together an intentional process that supports the Osage Nation’s right to self-determination of this sacred site and offers a replicable model for how art can connect with Land Back movements directly and seed lasting change.”
Counterpublic’s Cofounder and President, Lee Broughton, comments: “A critical tenet of Counterpublic’s mission is to imagine our futures as a community—how do we want to live together? To do this with great care and intention is to uplift and memorialize history; to remember and respect so that we never repeat. It is with resilience and determination that we enter our future hopefully. The return of Sugarloaf Mound and the acknowledgement of the Osage Nation by the City of St. Louis is a powerful moment forward for us all.”
The transfer agreement with private owner Joan Heckenberg leaves only one home remaining on the mound, currently owned by the St. Louis chapter of Kappa Psi, a national pharmaceutical fraternity. The Board Resolution and a parallel public input process organized by Counterpublic is meant to support the sale or transfer of this last home for the long-term preservation of the mound and eventual construction of an Osage Interpretive Center.
Annotated image of Sugarloaf Mound from the Heckenberg Family Scrapbook.
Photograph by Jennifer Colten. Courtesy of Joan Heckenberg.
Participate in the rematriation of Sugarloaf Mound by donating to the Osage Nation Foundation for the preservation work to come.
About Counterpublic
Actively engaged with both its neighbors in St. Louis and national conversations on the role of contemporary art, Counterpublic is a 501c3 nonprofit that aims to be a beacon of creative thinking and community engagement—an inclusive art platform that expands social, political, and civic horizons. Working in public places, cultural institutions, historic houses, and community gathering spaces, Counterpublic commissions artists, collectives, and community organizers to make and present works in St. Louis that engage the city’s histories and imagine new futures. The focal point is a three month festival across the city every three years that includes active education, research, residencies, performances, publications, public projects, and commissions.
