In the film, actor Lily Gladstone portrays Mollie Burkhart, a real member of the Osage Nation whose mother, sisters and other family members were killed over their headrights, or rights to oil reserves found underneath their reservation in Oklahoma.
Margie Burkhart, Mollie's granddaughter, told Grann that living on the Osage Reservation with Cobb was a period of happiness for her, and in 1937, Mollie died at the age of 50. As read by Scorsese during a cameo in the film, Mollie's short obituary stated: "Mrs. Mollie Cobb, 50 years of age...
Mollie Kyle was born on December 1, 1886, in the Osage Nation, Indian Territory (now Osage County, Oklahoma) to James Cue Kyle and Lizzie Q. Kyle. She grew up in Gray Horse and was forced to attend Catholic school in Pawhuska. She was Catholic and spoke both English and Osage.
What were they giving Mollie in Killers of the Flower Moon?
Ernest poisons Mollie. The scene: Ernest comforts Mollie in their bed. Theirs is a complicated relationship. Ernest clearly loves her but, at the same time, administers her insulin laced with poison, at the behest of his uncle.
Ernest George Burkhart (September 11, 1892 – December 1, 1986) was an American murderer who participated in the Osage Indian murders as a hitman for his uncle William King Hale's crime ring. He was convicted for the killing of William E. Smith in 1926, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Top 10 Things Killers of the Flower Moon Gets Factually Right
Did Ernest really love Mollie?
It's hard to know what is truly in another's heart, but Grann told the British newspaper the Independent that “all the letters and interviews I did clearly indicate he had genuine feelings for Mollie.” He also wrote in the New Yorker that “Ernest studied her native language until he could talk with her in it.
He even convinces his nephew, Ernest, to slowly poison his wife, Molly, under the guise of giving her life-saving insulin shots, in order to control and then inherit her wealth. We witness Ernest mix the poison into the insulin and give it to Molly several times throughout the film.
During the span of the film, Ernest and Mollie fall in love and have three children together. Though not much is seen of these children, they definitely impact Ernest's actions throughout the film. For example, when one of their children dies of whooping cough, Ernest is moved to testify in court.
Oklahoma County (Okla.) Parole of Ernest Burkhart, prisoner number 16624, granted by Governor Henry Bellmon on March 3, 1966, based on the recommendation of the Pardon and Parole Board dated February 8, 1966.
The story that Killers of the Flower Moon projects onto the big screen is one that's hard for many of us to confront, and the horrific nature of the events might even cause some viewers to chalk it up to creative Hollywood writers. But the great majority of the events of the film are, unfortunately, accurate.
Type 2 diabetes among American Indians is the result of decreasing traditional foods of wild game, garden produce, and seasonal fruits, vegetables, tubers, and herbs, in favor of overindulging in sugary, starchy, and fatty foods and adopting a sedentary way of life.
Between 1901 and 1950, the tribe received nearly $300 million, which would be worth about $4 billion today [2]. Current Financial Situation: While the Osage Tribe is no longer among the richest people, the effects of the oil industry are still felt today.
Diagnosed as a diabetic, she regularly received injections of what she was told was insulin but was later determined to be poison after her health began to improve once the injections stopped.
Over 2,000 Osage individuals made it to the Osage Nation Reservation in 1872; today, our Nation's population is over 25,000 strong, with 4,467 individuals living in Osage County on the Osage Nation Reservation.
Many guardians used their appointment to gain control over the ward's wealth for their own personal benefit. During this period, numerous white men married Osage women to become guardians of their estate.
Ernest Burkhart's decision to testify against his uncle stemmed from being backed into a corner and realizing that his uncle did not care about the consequences of their actions.
He and other minerals council members believe there is still oil to be produced on the reservation, but it's a matter of finding new techniques to extract them. “But with time, technology sometimes doesn't move as fast as the time does. And so, like right now, there's a lot of oil still around.
Mollie's daughter Anna, named after her sister, really died of whooping cough at the age of 4 just like in the movie. Mollie eventually divorced her husband, Ernest Burkhart, and remarried a man named John Cobb in 1928. She stayed with him until her death in June 1937 at 50 years old.
Margie Burkhart, Ernest and Mollie's granddaughter, said in an interview with Grann that after Ernest's death, his ashes were given to her father and Ernest's son, Cowboy Burkhart, with the instructions to spread them around the Osage Hills.
Did the real Ernest Burkhart love Mollie Burkhart? Whether or not it's accurate that Ernest really did love his wife—even has he was plotting to kill her entire family and quite possibly her, too—is impossible to say. That's the way Scorsese chose to tell the story, and it's certainly a compelling angle.
It might not have protected them from gold diggers but it's still not the level of violence that they would typically be subjected to. But Mollie actively chose Ernest not just for his good looks or charming demeanor but to also avoid getting her family's money stolen knowing that his Uncle was as well off as them.
There are 2,229 Osage headrights, one for each member of the Osage Nation enrolled in 1906. Osage headrights entitle the owner to a quarterly share of the Osage Mineral Estate.
What did Mollie do wrong and where did she finally go?
Of all the animals, Mollie has not risen to the demands of Animalism. She sneaks sugar and ribbons, shirks her duties, shows up late to work, and maintains contact with humans. After she leaves Animal Farm, the pigeons see her in town, pulling a dogcart while a human strokes her nose and feeds her sugar.
