Journally Speaking: Osage to ESG

With so little new content on television these days, it’s easy to find yourself scrolling endlessly, looking for something that stands out. Having worked in the oil industry for more than 30 years, I hadn’t yet watched Killers of the Flower Moon but was familiar with the subject matter.

Back in April 2017, I wrote a Journally Speaking column on the history of Indian Territory oil and how the Osage Nation came into great wealth through mineral rights. Watching this  chapter of our industry’s past brought to life on screen was a powerful reminder of how essential it is to reflect on where we’ve come from, especially in a field as complex and far-reaching as ours.

Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, adapted from David Grann’s investigative book, portrays a pivotal moment in US oil history, told through the tragic lens of the Osage murders of the 1920s.

For those working in oil and gas, the film is more than a historical crime drama, it’s a stark reminder of the industry’s complex legacy around mineral rights, land access, and ethical responsibility.

The story is set in Osage County, Okla., where oil discoveries transformed the Osage Nation into one of the wealthiest groups per capita in the world. As a result of negotiated mineral rights, the Osage people received headrights to oil royalties.

However, due to systemic racism and paternalistic federal policies, they were often assigned white ‘guardians’ to manage their wealth. This system opened the door to widespread abuse.

The narrative follows Ernest Burkhart, a white war veteran manipulated by his uncle William Hale, a prominent local rancher who schemes to acquire Osage wealth by orchestrating a series of murders. Burkhart’s
marriage to Mollie, an Osage woman with headrights, is central to this manipulation.

These crimes, targeting oil-rich Osage citizens, ultimately led to one of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s earliest high-profile investigations and exposed deep flaws in both the legal and regulatory structures of the time.

Modern implications

The film’s historical context resonates with conversations in today’s energy sector, especially regarding land access, Indigenous rights, and ethical stewardship.

In the early 20th century, the rapid growth of the oil industry outpaced the development of governance systems, creating opportunities for corruption, exploitation, and violence under the pretext of legal mineral ownership.

Fast forward to today: while the industry operates within more formalized legal and regulatory environments, challenges persist. Disputes over mineral rights, revenue sharing, and environmental impacts still surface, particularly in areas where operations intersect with Indigenous lands or vulnerable communities. The film underscores how critical it is for oil and gas professionals to understand the historical context of mineral ownership and approach current projects with a heightened sense of social responsibility.

Modern expectations around ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance have placed a premium on transparency and stakeholder engagement. Killers of the Flower Moon reminds us that failing to prioritize these elements can have lasting reputational—and human—costs.

For industry professionals, this story serves not only as a reminder of how far we've come in terms of regulation and accountability, but also of the work that remains.

It’s a call to continue improving how we manage relationships with landowners, uphold ethical standards in lease and royalty arrangements, and ensure that the benefits of oil and gas development are shared equitably and responsibly.