On Friday, January 20, dozens of people gathered outside of Macon City Hall to welcome Muscogee (Creek) Nation Chief and Second Chief, and to watch history unfold. The event, Forward Together from Ocmulgee to Okmulgee, was aimed to raise the Muscogee (Creek) Nation flag, but it meant so much more than that for every speaker who took the podium.
“It’s always a special time when we’re back in the ancestral homelands of our people,” said Chief David Hill. “No matter where we are, or how long we’ve been gone, the connection is still there, and you can’t help but feel it when it is recognized in a meaningful way.”
Members of Congress, state legislators, and other leaders spoke about how important and symbolic this ceremony was. Mayor Miller and Chief Hill also exchanged symbolic gifts with one another. You can view that here.
In December, Mayor Lester Miller signed an Ordinance that was unanimously passed by the Commission to permanently raise the Muscogee (Creek) flag over Macon City Hall. The ordinance, which a
lso places a land acknowledgement on the grounds of City Hall, symbolizes a growing relationship between the Macon-Bibb County Government, community, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Ordinance comes ahead of the redesignation of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as the country’s next National Park and Preserve. The National Park and Preserve is to be co-managed by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Department of Interior.
“We are bound together over the love of this sacred place. We are dedicated to working hand in hand to be stewards and shepherds of it,” Mayor Miller said during the ceremony. “This flag flies over an ancestral homeland ripped from you. This flag acts as a gesture of peace and good will. It is a message that you are always welcome in your ancestral homeland and that the time has come for us to acknowledge what was, and forge what can be.”
As the former capital of Muscogean culture, Macon-Bibb County and the Ocmulgee River still hold unique significance to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
“I feel a great sense of pride and emotional connection to our original home in the Southeast, so any time we can come back and mark these special occasions, it’s a special feeling,” said Second Chief Del Beaver. “I think of how happy our ancestors must be to see us back and representing a strong, thriving Nation that has persevered.”
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is a federally recognized tribe whose ancestral homeland was largely in Georgia and Alabama. The Muscogee (Creek) were removed to Oklahoma during Indian Removal in the 1830s, where they remain today with their headquarters in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The tribe is currently the 4th largest tribe in the United States with approximately 97,000 citizens.
During their visit in January, Chief and Second Chief received a tour of Macon-Bibb’s successes throughout the community. You can see more pictures from the ceremony here.