Freedmen, ousted from Muscogee Nation, seek recognition

Thursday, February 9, 2012  

The Muscogee Creek Indian Freedmen have filed a federal recognition petition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Freedmen were part of the Muscogee Nation under an 1866 treaty. But in 1979, other tribal members voted them out.

"We're Creek Indians. We are also of African descent. It's hard for people to believe, but ... we're both, though, That's how it is," Ron Graham, the president of the band, told The Tulsa World.

Graham said the Muscogee Freedmen can prove their Indian ancestry.

Get the Story:
Freedmen descendants petition U.S. for their own Oklahoma tribe (The Tulsa World 2/9)