When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced last week that it was changing its stance on a controversial mine proposed near Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp, the reason the agency gave was its failure, earlier on, to consult with the people the swamp used to belong to — the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Though they were forced out of Georgia close to two centuries ago, they stay engaged in issues here, said RaeLynn Butler, manager of the Historic and Cultural Preservation Department at the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, which is located in Oklahoma.
“We are very active in the protection of sacred lands, cultural sites in our homelands,” she said. “Being a removed tribe, it is difficult, but the federal preservation laws require consultation with tribes who have interest in those areas.”
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