SANTA FE – Justice for Hickory Ground continues its campaign to bring awareness to desecrated sacred sites at this year’s 104th annual Santa Fe Indian Market. In a press release, the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts announced that a “Sacred Sites Protection: Then and Now” panel will be co-sponsored by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and will run on Friday, Aug. 14, from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (MDT).
The panel will feature ground leaders from Oce Vpofv, the Justice for Hickory Ground movement, and the MCN. The panel continues the efforts to protect the Muscogee (Creek) Burial site and the ongoing fight to return ancestral remains to their rightful resting place. According to MCN Principal Chief David Hill, supporting the fight for sacred sites is important to the Nation.
“Native artists have always been essential to carrying forward our cultures, our histories, and our identities,” Principal Chief Hill explained. “But the sacred places, lands, and traditions that inspire them are increasingly under threat. That is why the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is honored to support Native artists through SWAIA and the Santa Fe Indian Market and to help draw attention to the threats facing sacred places across Indian Country and the urgent need to protect them.”
MCN Secretary of Culture and Humanities RaeLynn Butler, Mvskoke filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, and actor Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota/Diné) are slated speakers on the panel. Items on the panel’s agenda include sacred places, cultural survival, and “the role of storytelling and art in protecting what matters most.”
Following the panel, a ticketed event, “Sacred Places 2026: A Night of Music, Storytelling, and Art,” celebrates the power of Indigenous artists who protect culture, preserve memory, and inspire action. Hosted by Artists for Hickory Ground, it features well-known Indigenous artists and actors, including Zahn McClarnon (Hunkpapa Lakota), Gary Farmer (Cayuga), and Joy Harjo (Mvskoke).
SWAIA Executive Director Jamie Schulze (Northern Cheyenne/Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate) explained that this year’s market will greatly benefit from the support it has received from MCN and fellow sponsors.
“Indian Market is the place where Indian Country comes together every August,” Schulze said. “When Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Chickasaw Nation, and Cherokee Film all invest in the market in the same year, it underscores that Santa Fe Indian Market has become a national convening point for Native art, storytelling, and policy dialogue. We are grateful to our tribal sponsors from across Indian Country who partner with SWAIA’s mission to bring Native arts to the world.”
Supporters can keep up to date on the Justice for Hickory Ground movement on its Facebook page, Justice for Hickory Ground. To view Harjo’s documentary short, “BACK TO NATURE – The Battle For Hickory Ground, “ visit here.
