“Muscogee Homecoming” events celebrate region’s original citizens
Muscogee (Creek) Chief David Hill sends official delegation to Columbus
Nearly two hundred years after forced removal from these lands, Columbus will welcome the Muscogee (Creek) people back to their ancestral homelands for a series of community events.
Throughout April, the Springer Opera House, in partnership with Mayor’s Office, VisitColumbusGA and the Russell County Historical Commission, will host two Muscogee-themed plays, an official City Hall welcome ceremony, a community forum with tribal leaders, a tour of Fort Mitchell Historic Site and a post-show meet-and-greet.
An official delegation from the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma will travel to Columbus for the kickoff of events beginning April 3 with a welcome ceremony. Led by Muscogee Nation Secretary of Culture and Humanities RaeLynn Butler, the delegation will interact with the public, educators, government officials and cultural leaders.
Muscogee Homecoming Event Schedule
April 3, 10:00 am - OFFICIAL WELCOME CEREMONY. COLUMBUS CITY HALL COURTYARD (BROADWAY ENTRANCE). Mayor Henderson and other officials will welcome Muscogee Nation delegation, read a City Council-approved land acknowledgement and present a gift from Columbus to the Muscogee Nation - a custom quilt by local textile artist Cathy Fussell. Muscogee leaders will address the public.
1:30 pm - Fort Mitchell Tour - The Muscogee Nation delegation will tour Fort Mitchell Historic Site and engage in a meet-and-greet with the public. After the 1830 Indian Removal Act was signed by President Andrew Jackson, some 15,000 Muscogee were rallied at Fort Mitchell and removed at bayonet-point 800 miles to the Oklahoma territory. Approximately one-third did not survive the journey. Public invited. Donations to Fort Mitchell Historic Site encouraged. For more information, visit visitfortmitchell.org.
4:00 pm - Community Forum. Springer’s McClure Theatre. Muscogee Secretary of Culture andHumanities RaeLynn Butler, Deputy Secretary of Culture and Humanities Anthony Beaver and Director of Advocacy for the Ocmulgee Mounds National Park Initiative, Tracie Revis will address the public and answer questions about the past, present and future of the Muscogee Nation. Public Invited.
April 10 Opening Night: The Mvskoke Project - Opening Night of a new play commissioned by the Springer Opera House, written, created and directed by Muscogee Nation theatre artists and writers. The action of the play centers around three generations of a modern-day Muscogee family which has gathered at the home of their matriarch, Lahoma, as she is preparing to pass over to the other world. Visions, dreams, humor, customs, music, legacy.
The Mvskoke Project is sponsored by our partners at the National Endowment for the Arts and South Arts.
April 17, 18, 19 – 7:30 pm On the Far End, a new play written and performed by celebrated Native actor, playwright and sovereignty attorney Mary Kathryn Nagle. In the play, Nagle portrays beloved Muscogee leader, Ella Jean Hill, a groundbreaking advocate for tribal sovereignty. In turn, the Ella Jean Hill character tells the story of her grandfather and his journey from Fort Mitchell to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Ms. Nagle is a widely-known attorney who has filed briefs at the U.S. Supreme Court including the historic McGirt v. Oklahoma case in which the sovereignty of the Muscogee Nation was affirmed. The title of the play comes from Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Writing for the majority, Gorsuch began, “On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise.” Post-show talk- back with Ms. Nagle. For tickets, visit springeroperahouse.org or call 706-327-3688.