Shared History <\/strong><\/h2>\nThompson wrote that the court did not question that the plaintiffs had \u201cgrave historical, cultural, and religious interests in the treatment of Hickory Ground and those who were buried there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut so, too, does PBCI, as a sovereign entity, have serious interests in not having its capacity to exercise dominion over its lands adjudicated in a federal court without its presence and consent,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
“This land, long owned by PBCI, is a vital part of both the Tribe\u2019s history and its present economy,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cNo matter the phrasing of the plaintiffs\u2019 complaint or how the defendants they name are therein denominated, PBCI\u2019s sovereign interest in its ownership and use of Hickory Ground cannot be placed in jeopardy before this court without the Tribe\u2019s consent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hickory Ground was the Muscogee\u2019s last tribal capital before the federal government forced most of the tribe from the eastern US to Oklahoma in 1830, an exodus known as part of the Trail of Tears.<\/p>\n
PBCI are largely descended from the Muscogee, who were able to remain in Alabama because they sided with the US in the Creek War of 1813-14. PBCI acquired the 33-acre burial site in 1980 and agreed not to build there for 20 years. The Wind Creek Wetumpka resort opened at the beginning of 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A federal judge in Alabama has dismissed a lawsuit by the Oklahoma-based Muscogee Creek Nation (MCN). The lawsuit claimed Alabama\u2019s Poarch Band of Creek Indians (PBCI) illegally desecrated a sacred burial site when it built its Wind Creek Wetumpka casino resort. MCN originally sued PBCI in 2012. But the suit was paused by the courts, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":167655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,18456],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Wind Creek Wetumpka Burial Ground Desecration Lawsuit Dismissed<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n