Muscogee (Creek) Nation wants lawsuit reinstated against the Poarch Band of Creek Indians

September 30th, 2024

RaeLynn Butler, a Muscogee Nation citizen and one of its tribal historic preservation officers, poses for a photo outside. — RaeLynn Butler, a Muscogee Nation citizen and one of its tribal historic preservation officers, poses for a photo, Aug. 21, 2024, in Okmulgee, Okla. (AP Photo/Brittany Bendabout)

For two decades, Muscogee Nation has been fighting for their ancestral tribal land.

Members of the nation were forced from their lands and onto the Trail of Tears back in 1836. They left behind the remains of their ancestors on a sacred site, called Hickory Ground — which is north of present-day Montgomery, Alabama, and parts of Georgia.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians obtained much of that land in the 1980s and in the early 2000s, and its members reportedly excavated the human remains of Muscogee Nation ancestors to make way for a $246 million casino resort. Federal agencies did not intervene.

RaeLynn Butler, the secretary for culture and Humanities for the Muscogee Nation, and attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle were guests on Monday’s edition of “Closer Look.” They talked with show host Rose Scott about the history of Hickory Ground and a recent court hearing to reinstate a lawsuit against the Poarch Band of Creek Indians.