They were distinguished by Marquette in
1673 as the "Ouchage" and "Autrechaha," and by Penicaut in 1719 as the
"Huzzau," "Ous," and "Wawha." According to Croghan, they were, in 1759, on
"White creek, a branch of the Mississippi," with the "Grand Tuc;"
but"White creek" (or White water) was an old designation for Osage river,
and "Grand Tuc" is, according to Mooney, a corruption of "Grandes Eaux,"
or Great Osage; and there is accordingly no sufficient reason for
supposing that they returned to the Mississippi. Toward the close of the
eighteenth century the Osage and Kansa encountered the Comanche and
perhaps other Shoshonean peoples, and their course was turned southward;
and in 1817, according to Brown, the Great Osage and Little Osage were
chiefly on Osage and Arkansas rivers, in four villages. In 1829 Porter
described their country as beginning 25 miles west of the Missouri line
and running to the Mexican line of that date, being 50 miles wide; and he
gave their number as 5,000. According to Schoolcraft, they numbered 3,758
in April, 1853, but this was after the removal of an important branch
known as Black Dog's band to a new locality farther down Verdigris river.
In 1850 the Osage occupied at least seven large villages, besides numerous
small ones, on Neosho and Verdigris rivers. In 1873, when visited by
Dorsey, they were gathered on their reservations in what is now Oklahoma.
In 1890 they numbered 158.
The Kansa remained with the Up-stream People in their gradual ascent of
the Missouri to the mouth of the Kaw or Kansas, when they diverged
westward; but they soon came in contact with inimical peoples, and, like
the Osage, were driven southward.
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