OKMULGEE, Okla. – The Muscogee (Creek) Nation now joins a small group of federally-recognized Native American tribes that currently has over 100,000 enrolled citizens as of Sept. 21. The 100,000th enrolled citizen was a young lady named Charlee. The MCN Citizenship office celebrated the six figure enrollment milestone with a come-and-go reception at its Okmulgee and Jenks locations.
MCN Director of Citizenship Nathan Wilson (Mvskoke) and his team have been hard at work processing enrollment for new Mvskoke citizens, especially within the past two years. Although the citizenship department did not know exactly when they would enroll their 100,000th citizen, they knew it was forthcoming.
“It says a lot. As a director I’m proud that I was a part of that” Wilson said. “I’ve got a staff that has worked hard these last two years. It’s big both on the personal and professional-type level.”
Over the past couple years, external factors like the U.S. Supreme Court McGirt decision and the rollout of individual American Rescue Plan Act checks have increased the volume of individuals seeking to enroll in the MCN. According to Wilson, his department has enrolled over 9,000 citizens within the past two years.
“Our usual enrollment is about a thousand or so a year,” Wilson said. “To do over 9,000 in less than two years is big for us.”
Although Wilson and his department view enrolling the 100,000th citizen as a triumph for the tribe, there is still a lot of work to be done moving forward. According to Wilson, his department still has a job to do. The department annually sees seasons that keep them busy throughout the year, particularly around new school years and the spring.
MCN Principal Chief David Hill was ecstatic about the tribe’s growth. It is not everyday your tribe crosses the threshold of 100,000 citizens.
“It’s great to see the rapid growth of our Nation, especially with the number of Muscogees now increasing to over 100,000 strong,” Chief Hill said. “I want to thank all the staff at Muscogee Citizenship, who do a fantastic job. As leaders it’s our responsibility to make sure this Nation continues to grow along with its people, and we intend to. Our future is bright and limitless.”
According to Wilson, new citizenship applications can take anywhere from two to three weeks to process. For those seeking the services of the MCN citizenship department, they can be reached at 918-732-7941.
