Defending the Ancestors, Voices from Phillip Deere Round House

Movement Rights said, "We opened with the history of the Phillip Deere Round House from Bonnie Deere (Mvskoke). We are grateful to share this space for the Convening of the Four Winds and learn of what this space was created for and continues to be a place for the Mvskoke community. We gather here to be in ceremony, build strategy to protect indigenous lands, and defend the Rights of Nature."

Photo courtesy Movement Rights

Defending the Ancestors, Voices from Phillip Deere Round House

Update: March for Justice to 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, at dawn, as oral arguments begin on Sept. 25, 2024

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Sept. 7, 2024

OKEMAH, Oklahoma -- The ancestors who were left behind, fleeing for safety, were  buried in Alabama, when the Mvskoke were forced on the cruel Trail of Tears. Today, speaking at the Phillip Deere Round House in Oklahoma, Muscogee Creek described how it is all about the money these days for those who dug up the ancestors and handled them in a disrespectful way to build a casino.

Mvskoke Samuel 'Bonnie' Deere, son of Phillip Deere, spoke on the creation of the Phillip Deere Round House, and the devastation of 57 Mvskoke ancestors who were  dug up in Alabama for a casino.

During the opening session of the Third Convening of the Four Winds, Deere was joined by Muscogee Creek Principal Chief David Hill to describe the heartbreak, and the upcoming case in the Georgia Supreme Court.

"Our people were moved here on the Trail of Tears," Bonnie Deere told the gathering during the afternoon session today in Okemah, Oklahoma, at the round house built by his family that serves the community and gatherings.

"Our people that passed away, we had to leave them behind," Deere said, of those who ran into the hills and hid in the mountains. 

In 1983, the Poarch Band Creek were recognized.

"They started building casinos," Deere said.

For twenty years the Poarch Band had been taking care of the old ceremonial grounds, Hickory Ground, and had done it well, before the decision to build the casino on the burial grounds.

Deere said there were 57 of the ancestors dug up. They "wrapped them up in newspapers, and put them in buckets, and put them in storage containers."

"They have bought off a lot of people, senators, congressmen, because money talks."

"It is a human being issue."

Muscogee Creek Principal Chief David Hill said what is happening at Hickory Ground is affecting other tribes, because others are claiming to be Muskogee Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Cherokees, and Seminoles, in many states in the southeast, in an attempt to claim homelands and traditional items.

"They were never meant to be dug up," Chief Hill said of the ancestors being dug up and used for research.

Chief Hill said they lost trust in the National Congress of American Indians who failed  to respond and support them. NCAI responded to them by saying the issue "is tribe against tribe."

Chief Hill, however, told NCAI that the BIA and U.S. government failed to do their job and protect these sites.

"You're not helping," Chief Hill told NCAI.

"It's going to affect everyone in Oklahoma, we have to stand together," Chief Hill said today. "My fight is for all of the five tribes in Oklahoma."

The case is scheduled for oral arguments at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 25, 2024.

Chief Hill sent a letter to Stephanie Bryan, the Poarch Creek tribal chair, in 2023.

“You made a promise to protect these lands and the MCN ancestors who remain there,” the letter said.

“A promise that was broken when you removed our ancestors, stored them in boxes, and sent them off to a university to be studied by non-Indian archaeologists. Some, still today, sit in a storage facility on site. You have yet to do right by them.”

The Muscogee Creek Nation said:

"The case revolves around the Hickory Ground site in Wetumpka, Alabama which was a sacred ceremonial ground for the Muscogee people and the final capitol of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation before the Tribe’s forced removal to Oklahoma. Because of its significance to both Muscogee and American history, Hickory Ground was placed on the National Register of Historic Places."

"To this day, it remains one of most sacred sites to the Muscogee people as it is the final resting place for many of Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s most significant political and cultural leaders.

"However, a tribal entity obtained ownership of the property under the promise to protect the site and never excavate the Muscogee individuals buried there. Then did precisely the opposite. Federal law requires federal agencies to protect historic sites like Hickory Ground, but the federal agencies responsible for Hickory Ground’s protection allowed the desecration to happen."

"Through a series of illegal acts, the tribal entity that had acquired the Hickory Ground site dug up and removed the Muscogee (Creek) ancestors buried there and built a casino on the holy site."

https://www.muscogeenation.com/2023/07/21/muscogee-creek-nation-seeks-justice-for-desecration-of-sacred-site/

Justice of Hickory Ground: March for Justice: Oral Arguments to Begin in Atlanta, Georgia

March for Justice, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, 6:45 a.m.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/march-to-justice-for-hickory-ground-tickets-1001750922977

"Hickory Ground is more than just a piece of land; it is a sacred site with profound historical and spiritual importance. The desecration of these graves is a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle to protect Indigenous lands and the legacy of our ancestors. Our march to oral arguments is a pivotal moment in this long Journey for Justice—a journey that began long before today and will continue far into the future, as we will never stop fighting for the respect and dignity our ancestors deserve."

"Join us as we march in unity to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, where our voices will be heard in the ongoing battle for justice. This is not just a march; it is a powerful statement of our resolve and commitment to honor our ancestors and protect our sacred sites. The Journey for Justice continues, and we need you to stand with us."

Read Censored News full day of coverage from today's gathering, with live broadcast by Govinda Dalton

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09/live-now-from-phillip-deere-roundhouse.html

Article copyright Censored News