Osage Nation

What if we told you that part of the Jardin des Plantes actually belongs to Native Americans… Would you believe us? If not, then you clearly don’t know Montauban that well yet, because this city is full of unexpected stories that are absolutely true. Get ready to hear one of its most remarkable. In the bitter winter of 1829, three men from the Osage Nation arrived in Montauban, completely exhausted after a two-and-a-half-year journey across Europe. Their mission was simple, but urgent: to advocate for the cause of their people, far from home and far from comfort. The city’s bishop took them in, and the people of Montauban, moved by their story, quickly organized a fundraiser to help them return home. When the Osage men finally made it back, they shared their experience with their community – and what started as a travel story became a legend, passed down through generations. That story eventually made its way to the ears of the tribe today. In 1989, the Oklahoma-Occitania Association reached out and reestablished contact with the Osage people, leading to a series of cultural exchanges and reunions, both here in Montauban and in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. As a gesture of friendship and remembrance, the city gifted a small plot of land of the Botanical Garden to the Osage Nation. Today, you can visit that quiet corner of the garden, where a commemorative plaque and several sculptures pay tribute to this extraordinary bond – a living link between two worlds, and a little piece of Native American territory tucked into the heart of Montauban.