Latest news with #Mvskoke
Yahoo
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Muscogee Nation court rules descendants of enslaved people are entitled to citizenship
The Muscogee Nation Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that two descendants of people once enslaved by the tribe are entitled to tribal citizenship. The court found that the tribal nation's citizenship board violated an 1866 treaty when it denied the applications of Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey Kennedy in 2019 because they could not identify a lineal descendant of the tribe. 'Are we, as a Nation, bound to treaty promises made so many years ago? Today, we answer in the affirmative, because this is what Mvskoke law demands,' the court wrote in its opinion. The Muscogee Nation is one of five tribes in Oklahoma that once practiced slavery, and in that 1866 treaty with the U.S. government, the tribe both abolished it and granted citizenship to the formerly enslaved. But in 1979, the tribal nation adopted a constitution that restricted membership to the descendants of people listed as 'Muscogee (Creek) Indians by blood' on the Dawes Rolls, a census of members of the five tribes created around 1900. When the Dawes Rolls were created, people were listed on two separate rolls: those who were Muscogee and those who were identified by the U.S. government as Freedmen. In its ruling Wednesday, the court remanded the matter back to the Muscogee Nation's citizenship board and directed it to apply the Treaty of 1866 to Grayson and Kennedy's applications, as well as any future applicants who can trace an ancestor to either roll. The decision could create a path to tribal citizenship for thousands of new members who are not Muscogee by blood. The ruling is a long-awaited affirmation of their ancestors and their rightful place in the Muscogee Nation, said Rhonda Grayson. 'While this victory honors our past, it also offers a meaningful opportunity for healing and reconciliation. It's time now to come together, rebuild trust, and move forward as one united Nation, ensuring future generations never again face exclusion or erasure," she said in a statement to The Associated Press. 'When I heard the ruling, I felt generations of my family exhale at once," Kennedy added in a statement. 'Our ancestors signed that treaty in good faith, and today the Court finally honored their word.' The court also found that any reference of 'by blood' in the Muscogee Nation's constitution is unlawful, which could mean the tribe will have to overhaul parts of the governing document. One provision of the constitution requires that citizens be at least one quarter Muscogee 'by blood' to run for office. 'We are currently reviewing the order to understand its basis as well as its implications for our processes,' Muscogee Nation Chief David Hill said in a statement. 'It may be necessary to ask for a reconsideration of this order to receive clarity so that we can ensure that we move forward in a legal, constitutional manner.' Successful legal cases were brought against two of the five tribes, the Seminole Nation and the Cherokee Nation, which have since granted citizenship to Freedmen descendants. But how that citizenship is implemented could come down to politics, said Jonathon Velie, an attorney who worked on behalf of Freedmen in both cases. The roughly 2,500 Freedmen citizens in the Seminole Nation are not allowed to run for higher office and do not have access to certain resources, like tribal housing and education assistance. The 17,000 Freedmen citizens in the Cherokee Nation, however, have been embraced by the last two administrations and are given the full benefits of tribal members. When it comes to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees many of the resources owed to tribes through treaty rights, the Freedmen citizens in both tribes are the same, said Velie — their tribes just honor their citizenship differently. 'I hope the (Muscogee) Creek Nation welcomes them back in, because what they won today wasn't the U.S. Government or the U.S. courts telling them, they told themselves in their own judicial system," Velie said. Solve the daily Crossword
23-07-2025
- Politics
Muscogee Nation court rules descendants of enslaved people are entitled to citizenship
The Muscogee Nation Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that two descendants of people once enslaved by the tribe are entitled to tribal citizenship. The court found that the tribal nation's citizenship board violated an 1866 treaty when it denied the applications of Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey Kennedy in 2019 because they could not identify a lineal descendant of the tribe. 'Are we, as a Nation, bound to treaty promises made so many years ago? Today, we answer in the affirmative, because this is what Mvskoke law demands,' the court wrote in its opinion. The Muscogee Nation is one of five tribes in Oklahoma that once practiced slavery, and in that 1866 treaty with the U.S. government, the tribe both abolished it and granted citizenship to the formerly enslaved. But in 1979, the tribal nation adopted a constitution that restricted membership to the descendants of people listed as 'Muscogee (Creek) Indians by blood' on the Dawes Rolls, a census of members of the five tribes created around 1900. When the Dawes Rolls were created, people were listed on two separate rolls: those who were Muscogee and those who were identified by the U.S. government as Freedmen. In its ruling Wednesday, the court remanded the matter back to the Muscogee Nation's citizenship board and directed it to apply the Treaty of 1866 to Grayson and Kennedy's applications, as well as any future applicants who can trace an ancestor to either roll. The decision could create a path to tribal citizenship for thousands of new members who are not Muscogee by blood. The ruling is a long-awaited affirmation of their ancestors and their rightful place in the Muscogee Nation, said Rhonda Grayson. 'While this victory honors our past, it also offers a meaningful opportunity for healing and reconciliation. It's time now to come together, rebuild trust, and move forward as one united Nation, ensuring future generations never again face exclusion or erasure," she said in a statement to The Associated Press. 'When I heard the ruling, I felt generations of my family exhale at once," Kennedy added in a statement. 'Our ancestors signed that treaty in good faith, and today the Court finally honored their word.' The court also found that any reference of 'by blood' in the Muscogee Nation's constitution is unlawful, which could mean the tribe will have to overhaul parts of the governing document. One provision of the constitution requires that citizens be at least one quarter Muscogee 'by blood' to run for office. 'We are currently reviewing the order to understand its basis as well as its implications for our processes,' Muscogee Nation Chief David Hill said in a statement. 'It may be necessary to ask for a reconsideration of this order to receive clarity so that we can ensure that we move forward in a legal, constitutional manner.' Successful legal cases were brought against two of the five tribes, the Seminole Nation and the Cherokee Nation, which have since granted citizenship to Freedmen descendants. But how that citizenship is implemented could come down to politics, said Jonathon Velie, an attorney who worked on behalf of Freedmen in both cases. The roughly 2,500 Freedmen citizens in the Seminole Nation are not allowed to run for higher office and do not have access to certain resources, like tribal housing and education assistance. The 17,000 Freedmen citizens in the Cherokee Nation, however, have been embraced by the last two administrations and are given the full benefits of tribal members. When it comes to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees many of the resources owed to tribes through treaty rights, the Freedmen citizens in both tribes are the same, said Velie — their tribes just honor their citizenship differently. 'I hope the (Muscogee) Creek Nation welcomes them back in, because what they won today wasn't the U.S. Government or the U.S. courts telling them, they told themselves in their own judicial system," Velie said.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Muscogee Nation court rules descendants of enslaved people are entitled to citizenship
The Muscogee Nation Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that two descendants of people once enslaved by the tribe are entitled to tribal citizenship. The court found that the tribal nation's citizenship board violated an 1866 treaty when it denied the applications of Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey Kennedy in 2019 because they could not identify a lineal descendant of the tribe. 'Are we, as a Nation, bound to treaty promises made so many years ago? Today, we answer in the affirmative, because this is what Mvskoke law demands,' the court wrote in its opinion. The Muscogee Nation is one of five tribes in Oklahoma that once practiced slavery, and in that 1866 treaty with the U.S. government, the tribe both abolished it and granted citizenship to the formerly enslaved. But in 1979, the tribal nation adopted a constitution that restricted membership to the descendants of people listed as 'Muscogee (Creek) Indians by blood' on the Dawes Rolls, a census of members of the five tribes created around 1900. When the Dawes Rolls were created, people were listed on two separate rolls: those who were Muscogee and those who were identified by the U.S. government as Freedmen. In its ruling Wednesday, the court remanded the matter back to the Muscogee Nation's citizenship board and directed it to apply the Treaty of 1866 to Grayson and Kennedy's applications, as well as any future applicants who can trace an ancestor to either roll. The decision could create a path to tribal citizenship for thousands of new members who are not Muscogee by blood. The ruling is a long-awaited affirmation of their ancestors and their rightful place in the Muscogee Nation, said Rhonda Grayson. 'While this victory honors our past, it also offers a meaningful opportunity for healing and reconciliation. It's time now to come together, rebuild trust, and move forward as one united Nation, ensuring future generations never again face exclusion or erasure,' she said in a statement to The Associated Press. 'When I heard the ruling, I felt generations of my family exhale at once,' Kennedy added in a statement. 'Our ancestors signed that treaty in good faith, and today the Court finally honored their word.' The court also found that any reference of 'by blood' in the Muscogee Nation's constitution is unlawful, which could mean the tribe will have to overhaul parts of the governing document. One provision of the constitution requires that citizens be at least one quarter Muscogee 'by blood' to run for office. 'We are currently reviewing the order to understand its basis as well as its implications for our processes,' Muscogee Nation Chief David Hill said in a statement. 'It may be necessary to ask for a reconsideration of this order to receive clarity so that we can ensure that we move forward in a legal, constitutional manner.' Successful legal cases were brought against two of the five tribes, the Seminole Nation and the Cherokee Nation, which have since granted citizenship to Freedmen descendants. But how that citizenship is implemented could come down to politics, said Jonathon Velie, an attorney who worked on behalf of Freedmen in both cases. The roughly 2,500 Freedmen citizens in the Seminole Nation are not allowed to run for higher office and do not have access to certain resources, like tribal housing and education assistance. The 17,000 Freedmen citizens in the Cherokee Nation, however, have been embraced by the last two administrations and are given the full benefits of tribal members. When it comes to the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees many of the resources owed to tribes through treaty rights, the Freedmen citizens in both tribes are the same, said Velie — their tribes just honor their citizenship differently. 'I hope the (Muscogee) Creek Nation welcomes them back in, because what they won today wasn't the U.S. Government or the U.S. courts telling them, they told themselves in their own judicial system,' Velie said.
Boston Globe
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Fresh Ink's ‘Sugar' offers a modern look at the oldest profession
'It may seem like I just appeared on the scene,' the 32-year-old Moses says with a laugh, 'but I've been working at theaters across the country for the past decade.' A citizen of Seminole Nation of Oklahoma with Mvskoke (Creek) heritage , and a cofounder of Groundwater Arts (which leads theater workshops in climate justice and de-colonization), Moses grew up in Oklahoma, but moved to Providence four years ago to earn her MFA in directing at Brown/Trinity Rep. Her first experience with Boston audiences came about when the Furnace Fringe Festival (produced by Boston University students) presented her play 'Sections' in 2017. 'I was struck then by how engaged the audiences were,' she says. 'Ninety percent of the audience stayed for a 20-minute talk back that lasted over an hour. People weren't used to being seen and were eager to talk about their experiences.' Advertisement Tiffany Santiago, playing Brooke, hides under a desk while fellow actors shake hands as they rehearse a scene from their production of 'Sugar." Taylor Coester for The Boston Globe When Fresh Ink asked her to submit a script for consideration, Moses, who has already written 17 full-length plays, chose 'Sugar,' a drama that turns the 'Pretty Woman' trope on its head. In the play, Brooke, a 20-something who is working three jobs but still can't make enough money to pay all her rent, student loans, utilities, and food bills, turns to sex work that ultimately helps her get her life back on track. 'She games the misogynistic system for a woman's benefit,' says Moses. 'I think the people that write stories like 'Pretty Woman' are writing about their fantasy, and don't engage in sex work or have any real connection to it,' she says. 'This play is autobiographical in a way and tells an authentic story that asks questions about the ways in which we treat marriage, women's bodies, and identity as commodities.' 'Sugar' director Audrey Seraphin says Moses makes specific choices while weaving several layers of ideas throughout the play. 'Tara creates tension between moments of comfort and discomfort,' Seraphin says. 'For example, she uses country music throughout the play — first as a weapon [to try to quiet noisy neighbors] and then to provide insight into a character's personality, but always to move the story forward. She also uses art [Brooke's chosen profession], sometimes to antagonize, but also to heal and connect.' Moses, Seraphin says, also creates complicated and nuanced friendships that emerge out of need. Sometimes it's misplaced, as in Brooke's friendship with a college roommate who sees her as token, while at other times, with Brooke's business partner, a successful investment adviser, it can be empowering. Advertisement 'She describes Brooke as ethnically ambiguous, operating in the margins as an unknown brown woman,' Seraphin says. 'That's already a complication.' But Moses also provides Brooke with a strong arc, allowing her to lay out her dreams in the opening scene, and then, in the course of the play, take advantage of a business opportunity to make them a reality. 'Tara makes very specific choices that poke fun at stereotypes one minute and then suggest some some dark things the next,' Seraphin says. 'Trauma doesn't have to be violent or sexual to harm. But by giving Brooke control, she allows her to figure stuff out, and most importantly, by the end, we know she's safe.' Climate Plays After each reading, the plays are paired with a local conservationist, climate researcher, and/or climate activist who can speak to the issues addressed in the play and continue the conversation. Festival tickets are $50. For more information, go to Advertisement SUGAR By Tara Moses, presented by Fresh Ink Theatre, at the BCA Black Box Theatre, April 17-May 3. Tickets $35.
