They were pushed out in 1836. This weekend, the Muscogee Nation comes back to Alabama

Federal troops pushed most of the members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation out of Alabama in 1836.

But the residents of Arbeka, one of the most important Muscogee towns near modern-day Talladega, didn’t leave empty-handed. They took a sacred flame and walked it all the way to Oklahoma, where they used it to establish a ceremonial ground of the same name.

Now, for the first time in almost 200 years, members of the Muscogee Nation are returning to Alabama for a homecoming celebration in Oxford. Oxford Mayor Alton Craft and officials from the Muscogee Nation will kick off the two-day event on Friday.

The name “Reyicepes” translates to “We Have Come Back” and represents the culmination of more than 10 years of cooperation between the tribe and the city that began when developers of Choccolocco Park unearthed remains and sacred objects from the Muscogee.

Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/they-were-pushed-out-in-1836-this-weekend-the-muscogee-nation-comes-back-to-alabama.html