MGA hosts panel educating students on local Native tribes

MACON Ga. — Middle Georgia State University kicked off the School of Arts and Letters Arts Festival by hosting a Reclaiming the Native South humanities panel on the Macon campus.

The panel started at 4:30 p.m. in the Arts Complex Theater and invited professors from the University of Mississippi and University of Georgia with a

background in history of Native Americans. Among the panelists were Beau Carrol and Tracie Revis, who have a Creek and Cherokee background and are trying to bring Muscogee (Creek) culture back to middle Georgia.

Revis is the Director of Advocacy at Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative and gives a mini history lesson on mounds along the Ocmulgee and nearby rivers.

“The whole river and state of Georgia has cultural sites, but all the way down the river down to Hawkinsville, there were Native sites all along the river,” Revis said. “We have tribal and Muscogee sites all along the river. Ocmulgee was the capital city, which is right here Macon, and so all the way down river there were additional sites and different mound sites and there all in Pulaski, Houston, Twiggs and Bleckley all have cultural sites.”

Rivers that have these sites — the Ocmulgee, Oconee, Flint, Chattahoochee and Savannah rivers — all had cultural sites along the water ways, according to Revis.

The Ocmulgee Mounds in Macon are currently trying to expand their historical site. The site was initially made up of 702 acres, and has expanded since to 2,800 acres. Revis is taking action to make sure the park is expanded even further.

“We are looking to expand all the way down river, which does take an act of congress, so what we’re seeking is a re-designation of the name from a historical park to a national park and preserve,” Revis said. “The preserve means that there will be hunting and fishing in designated areas and some areas will be just hunting or just the park and co-management, making sure the nation has a voice and being co-managers in the land.”

Muscogee (Creek) have lost their roots due to the passage of time and the lack of cultural teachings to future generations. In January of this year, Macon took a huge step in raising the Muscogee (Creek) flag in front of city hall. Revis said how much that meant to her and others in her nation.

“Raising that flag for us in the land where we were meant to removed and to never come back to is an incredible opportunity, a friendship and that cultural exchange and making sure we always feel comfortable coming back here.”

Revis encourages students to continue learning about Natives and the land we are occupying.

“There’s more to learn, it’s important to learn the history of the land and know that there’s still evolving stories of people. It takes the former stewards of this land and the current stewards of this land to really come together and have those conversations.”

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