TULSA, Okla. — An ongoing issue picked up more traction here in Oklahoma.

While 2 News was listening to your stories at the fair, several Muscogee (Creek) Nation members came up to the listening booth to talk about a dilemma the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is facing. It all has to do with sacred grounds in Alabama.

Raelynn Butler is the Muscogee (Creek) Nation’s Secretary of Culture and Humanities.

She said Hickory Ground in Alabama was protected as a historical site.

Some of it was then bought around 1980 by the Poarch Creek Indians, a tribe that was federally-recognized in 1984.

She said the Poarch Creek Indians started construction in the early 2000s and have since built a casino, but found several graves on the site after hiring Auburn University excavators.

According to the Federal Register, Auburn University did complete an inventory detailing findings in the excavation to abide by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA).

They reported finding multiple human remains and being able to identify five of the bodies, along with funerary objects including items like beads, ceramics and fabrics.

Now, people like RaeLynn Butler are fighting to make sure those remains are given back to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

“We're in a time that we know and recognize that that's wrong and that there are laws against that," said Butler. "Everyone deserves respect."

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