An Oklahoma man continues to fight for citizenship in the Muscogee (Creek) Nation even though the tribe says he doesn't qualify.

Ron Graham's father was an original enrollee, spoke fluent Muscogee and participated in tribal ceremonies. But because he was listed on the Freedmen side of the Dawes Roll, Graham was denied citizenship.

"She said 'Well, he's a freedmen, and freedmen are no longer with us,' " Graham told The Tulsa World. "That drive home was something else. It hurt me."

Graham filed a lawsuit in tribal court and won a decision to reconsider his enrollment application. But the tribe's highest court overturned the ruling and he lost the case.

"It's not about benefits, it's about an opportunity," Graham said. "Just like you have an opportunity to be an American. I'm not out to hurt anybody. I'm out to set the record straight."

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Question of citizenship (The Tulsa World 2/27)