Rosana Chouteau was the first woman to be elected chief of the Osage Beaver Band, a clan of the Native American Osage Nation in Oklahoma, in 1875, following the death of her uncle.
A year after her election, Choteau asserted, "I think my band obey me better than they would a man."
She is featured (with her name incorrectly spelled as Rosa) in Judy Chicago's installation art piece The Dinner Party.