The Tulsa City Council on Oct. 15 approved a conveyance of city-owned land to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, a vote councilors said returns a site the nation calls sacred while several public commenters asked the council to delay action because of an ongoing dispute over Muscogee Nation citizenship for descendants of Creek Freedmen.

Several speakers during public comment told the council that recent rulings within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s own courts and executive action by the nation’s leadership have left descendants of Creek Freedmen denied citizenship. “I am a voter and resident of Tulsa ... I am a descendant of Creek Freeman,” Nicholas Martin told the council, saying he had been denied citizenship by the tribe and asking the council to stop the vote to return the park. Ron Graham, who identified himself as chairman of the Muskogee Creek Indian Freedmen Band, said the tribe’s court had issued rulings that should be respected and urged the city to reconsider the conveyance until those issues are resolved.

Council members and staff described the item before them as a conveyance of land owned by the city to the tribal government for stewardship and cultural care; they said matters of citizenship and enrollment lie within tribal sovereignty and outside the city’s legal authority. Council discussion referenced an initiative that city officials say began under the previous administration in November 2024 to restore ownership of the site to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and the council noted that some paperwork delays had centered on obtaining easement documentation from utility holders.

Councilors also acknowledged that, separately, the Muscogee Nation’s internal court rulings and an executive order about blood quantum and citizenship standards — referenced by public speakers and by staff during the meeting — have created unresolved issues for descendants of Creek Freedmen. Council members said the city received additional information about those matters within the last week but emphasized that the legal authority to resolve citizenship questions rests with the nation and, potentially, federal courts.

The council voted to approve the conveyance as listed on the agenda (item 4b) along with related items (4b through 4o). The meeting record shows the package was approved with the emergency clause applied to items 4b through 4d. The council did not amend tribal enrollment policy; several public speakers made that request during public comment.

What happened next: city staff said the Muscogee (Creek) Nation had proposed to assume maintenance of the park and its artwork. Speakers and attendees in the chamber included Chief David Hill of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, who was identified as present in the audience; Chief Hill did not make a public statement on the council record during the meeting.

Why it matters: the transfer is part of a broader trend of municipal governments returning certain properties to tribal nations for stewardship of cultural resources. At the same time, the public comments at the council meeting underscore unresolved questions about tribal membership and the rights of Freedmen descendants, an issue that affects people living in Tulsa and raises potential legal and political complications that the city said it cannot resolve unilaterally.

The council’s formal action conveys city title per the agenda language; any future questions about tribal membership or enrollment remain matters for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s internal processes and, if pursued, federal courts. The city record shows the conveyance passed and that related items in the same package were approved that evening.