The Osage call the Europeans I'n-Shta-Heh (Heavy Eyebrows) because of their facial hair.

As experienced warriors, the Osage ally with the French, with whom they trade, against the Illiniwek during the early eighteenth century.

The first half of the 1720s is a time of more interaction between the Osage and French.

Étienne de Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, founds Fort Orleans in their territory; it is the first European fort on the Missouri River.

Jesuit missionaries are assigned to French forts and establish missions to the Osage, learning their language.

In 1724, the Osage ally with the French rather than the Spanish in their fight for control of the Mississippi region.

In 1725, Bourgmont leads a delegation of Osage and other tribal chiefs to Paris.

The Native Americans are shown the wonders and power of France, including a visit to Versailles, Château de Marly and Fontainebleau.

They hunt with Louis XV in the royal forest and see  an opera.