The Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma wants the Poarch Creek Band of Indians to stop work on a $246 million casino in Alabama.

The Muscogees say the expansion of the Wind Creek Wetumpka will harm burial sites. "The Muscogee Nation is committed to protecting the burial and ceremonial grounds of our ancestors," Chief Tiger said in a press release.

Some ancestors were uncovered at the Hickory Ground, which also served as the last location of the Creek National Council prior to removal. The Poarch Creeks have reburied the remains.

"The Poarch Band of Creek Indians will continue to protect the remains of our ancestors and hopefully we can work with the Muscogee Creek in the future as other ancestral remains may be found throughout our homelands within the state of Alabama," Robert McGhee, the tribe's governmental affairs adviser, told The Birmingham News.

The new casino is expected to open by May 2013.

Get the Story:
Muscogee Nation Creeks demand a halt to planned Poarch Creek mega-casino in Wetumpka (The Birmingham News 8/13)

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Alabama attorney general disputes Poarch Creek gaming rights (8/9)