Thousands once filled the Muscogee tribe’s territory in present-day Alabama. Hickory Ground was a town, a ceremonial site, burial ground, and the last tribal capital before the people were forcibly removed from the Southeast.
Robyn Soweka Sr., of Hickory Ground Tribal Town, right, describes a tribal challenge issued to the Poarch Band, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Wetumoka, Ala. At left is George Thompson, who is the Mekko, a ceremonial leader, of Hickory Ground in the Muscogee Nation.
The Muscogee Nation contends that Alabama’s Poarch Creeks do not have historic ties to Hickory Ground and illegally excavated the remains of Muscogee ancestors to build the $246 million casino. The Poarch Band maintains that it too has ancestral ties to Hickory Ground and has worked to preserve much of the historic site. The excavation of the graves and development at the historic site has fueled a dispute that has devastated the relationship between two tribal nations.
A few Muscogee families from about 130 miles south of Wetumpka were allowed to stay, some because they fought alongside the U.S. during the Creek War from 1813 to 1814. Their descendants would later form the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Bryan said while the dispute dates back long before she became tribal chair, that the Poarch have tried unsuccessfully to reach an agreement with their Oklahoma cousins.
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