Elise Paschen reads Wi’-gi-e, the inspiration for Killers of the Flower Moon

Before Scorsese’s film, before Grann’s book, there was a poem...
Osage poet Elise Paschen reads “Wi’-gi-e”, the poem which
inspired the title of the book and film, Killers of the
Flower Moon.


We filmed her special reading of the poem, which she dedicates to
Lily Gladstone, who portrays Osage Native Mollie Burkhart in the
film. If there is any justice in this world, Gladstone will win
the Oscar for Best Actress.


It was Elise, co-founder of Poetry in Motion, whose poem is
spoken in the voice of Mollie Burkhart, who first brought
Mollie’s story to wider attention. (In the film, Mollie’s
husband, Ernest Burkhart, is portrayed by Leonardo
DiCaprio.) 


After you hear Elise, make sure you catch the trailer for our
documentary, Long Knife, produced by George DiCaprio and Greg
Palast, which brings the story of the Osage up to date, focusing
on the Osage Nation’s fight against the thievery of the Brothers
Koch. This video was filmed by Battiste Fenwick on the Osage
Reservation and edited by Esther Shubinski |
@manytrailsproduction.


Elise Paschen 's poem “Wi’-gi-e” is published in Bestiary (Red
Hen Press, 2009).


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