Eleventh Circuit Court Of Appeals Vacates District Court Ruling In Muscogee Nation's Fight For Justice For Ancestors

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated a district court's ruling in the Muscogee Nation's fight for the sacred burial site Hickory Ground in Alabama.

The Muscogee Nation says this recent court decision means tribal members still have a chance to fight for justice for their ancestors.

“57 ancestors including women, children, taken from their final resting place, placed in containers in different areas, and you don't do that, especially between tribes,” said press secretary Jason Salsman. 

The court decision comes two weeks after Muscogee Nation members and supporters traveled to Georgia for the proceedings.

Salsman says it's important people know about this case.

“We have to make sure people know about this issue, to know that it's wrong, to know that we are on the right side of history here, and to know that our ancestors need to stay in their final resting place and not be disturbed,” he said.

The tribe says 57 Muscogee people were buried at Hickory Ground, but the remains were removed so the Poarch Band Tribe could build a casino and resort after acquiring the land.

Salsman says the tribe wants the remains to be returned to Hickory Ground.

“We've got to stay in the fight, and make sure that we set a precedence, that there is going to be sacred sites, and they are going to be protected and there's nothing that can disturb them, not without some retribution,” he said.

Salsman says it's their ancestors that have made the tribe keep going, and the end goal is to see accountability.

“We have to keep pushing, we have to keep doing the things that have gotten us here now, which is standing up for the right things and what makes us truly Indigenous people,” he said.

The case will now continue and return to the district court.