TVLSE – On Nov. 1, the Muscogee (Creek) Nation held the 39th Annual Council Oak Tree Day at Stickball Park commemorating the founding of the Locv Pokv Tribal Town in 1836. This year’s significant event marked the return of the 400 year-old Council Oak to the Nation with a ceremonial signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the MCN and the City of Tulsa. The MOU conveys ownership of Stickball Park and Council Oak Tree Park to the Nation with the condition the land will remain public parks.
The repatriation was attended by MCN and city leadership, including former Principal Chiefs A.D. Ellis and James Floyd. Muscogee (Creek) Nation National Council Representative Galen Cloud MC’d the event and introduced the Este Cate Hoktvke Suletawv, Mvskoke Women’s Honor Guard, who opened the event. Remarks by Principal Chief David Hill, Second Chief Beaver, and Deputy Mayor Krystal Reyes highlighted the extraordinary history of the tree and the partnership between the city and the MCN. Native actor Moses J. Brings Plenty (Ogalala Lakota) spoke to the crowd, speaking of Native connections across Indian Country. City of Tulsa Director of Tribal Policy Amanda Swope (Mvskoke) shared the commitment the city has in honoring Indigenous traditions and cultures. Swope also read the City of Tulsa proclamation on Native History Month.
After the signing a community lunch was shared. The event also had booths from vendors, community and tribal resources, and non-profits.
“We recognize the shared history between the City of Tulsa and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The Council Oak Ceremony commemorates the establishment of a new Mvskoke Nation from our original homelands. The Council Oak Tree stands today as a living landmark for both the Mvskoke Nation and the City of Tulsa. More importantly, this ceremony honors the perseverance of our Mekkvlke who continue to safeguard our way of life. It represents both a sacred gathering place and the beginning of a new era for the Mvskoke Nation.I urge every citizen to reflect as we honor our Mvskoke ancestors who survived the forced removal on the Road of Misery (Nene Estemerketv) and reestablished our tribal towns, who remain the backbone of our government and the living heart of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.”
– 2025 MCN Proclamation of Council Oak Day
The parks hold huge significance to both the Nation and the city. The site is the first Mvskoke settlement within the region that became Tulsa: the Mvskoke people Locv Pokv Tvlse placed the embers of their sacred fire, carried from the ancestral homelands in Alabama, under the oak in 1836. As referenced in the MOU, this site is where they reestablished their Etvlwv (tribal town), Cuko Rakko (ceremonial ground), played stickball games, and held commerce and trade. The parks are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and in the Oklahoma Landmarks inventory.
Both Council Oak Park and Stickball Park have been owned by the City of Tulsa: Stickball Park since 1946 and Council Oak Park since 1974. The MCN held the first Council Oak Day ceremony at the park on Oct. 26, 1986, under the leadership of Principal Chief Claude Cox. As reported in the Muscogee Nation News, then 93-years old former Principal Chief W.E. Dode McIntosh shared that work with the city to save the tree from development began 20 years prior: “We began our drive to save the tree in the 60’s, and we had to exchange land foot by foot. It took us five years just to get the title.”
The first ceremony incorporated a horseback procession on Riverside Parkway by members of the Creek Nation Riding Club. Mvskoke citizen and celebrated horseman Roy Roberts carried a wool-wrapped torch which was presented to Chief Cox and Chief McIntosh to light an “Eternal Flame.”
Recent work towards repatriating the parks appeared publicly in remarks during a March 2023 Tulsa City Council meeting. Chris McCabe, president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association (RVNA), presented concerns about the state of the park and the health of the tree to the council, questioning the city’s lack of concern for the property. McCabe was soon connected with MCN Secretary of Humanities and Culture RaeLynn Butler and other community and Mvskoke stakeholders. In 2024, the RVNA and the MCN partnered for an Oklahoma Forestry Department Grant to aid in tree maintenance and preservation.
During the 2024 Council Oak Tree Day ceremony the Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum announced that the city was initiating a transfer of land between the city and the MCN. Bynum stated, “This is important for us as a community as we continue to find ways to honor our heritage and the origins of our city. Tulsa wouldn’t exist without the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and this is one way we can properly recognize that.”
During the Sept 27 MCN Regular Session, the council approved TR 25-083 which authorized Principal Chief Hill to execute an MOU with the city for the transfer of the two parks. On Oct. 15, the Tulsa City Council voted unanimously to repatriate the parks to the MCN.
