Tulsa council approves transfer of city-owned park to Muscogee (Creek) Nation amid Freedmen citizenship protests

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…