Hesci! Stonkon follakcv?
This is my first entry of Muscogee Musings for the Mvskoke News, and I’m excited for the opportunity to address citizens in this format, to discuss the happenings of our Nation’s highest office from a personal standpoint. And 2026 has gotten off to a tremendous start, so let’s get to it…
We began the year by making history, as the first ambassadorial group from the Muscogee Nation to visit the United Kingdom. Back in 2024, while attending the annual Sovereignty Symposium, I had the pleasure of meeting Baroness Emma Nicholson from the House of Lords in British Parliament, and she indicated that her office had come in possession of several documents of Muscogee correspondence with England from the 18th Century. She invited the Nation over for a goodwill visit, and an opportunity to gift these documents to us. In addition, we visited government-to government with the Baroness and her staff to identify ways to work together promoting our shared histories moving forward. We spent the day at Westminster observing Parliament, had wonderful conversation over English tea, and finished our visit with an evening service at the iconic Abby.
The next day, we visited a private collection at the British Museum. There was a Muscogee man named Josiah Francis, or “Helvs Haco,” who visited London for about a 16-month period in the late 1700s. We viewed his personal clothing items for the first time — his overcoat and his leggings, moccasins, hand-woven belts, sashes and a bandolier bag he carried. We’re in discussions of possibly doing a loan so that those items can come over here and so that our citizens can see them. I was awe-struck seeing the intricate handwork of his clothing and how the designs resembled many we still see today.
From there, we took the 4-hour train ride to Edinburgh, Scotland. As I looked out the window at the rolling hills and the cold North Sea waves capping hard into the coast, I thought about our ancestors that first traveled here and made this connection. What a journey that must have been!
Our first night in Edinburgh included a visit to Holyrood, which is the home of Scottish Parliament. We visited with MSP Stephen Kerr, exchanged gifts, and spoke with him about our shared history and our desire to re-connect and work together as collaborative Nations. He agreed with the sentiment, and has invited us back to address full Parliament and further this cause.
The next day, was the main event. Our Culture and Humanities Department and NAGPRA office had been in contact for two years with the Anatomy Department at the University of Edinburgh to repatriate Muscogee and Yuchi ancestral remains. There were six ancestor remains. They were given to the Phrenological Society sometime before 1858, a separate entity from the University. They inherited the collection to the Department of Anatomy at some point and were donated by Professor W. Byrd Powell, who was an American physician and strong believer in the 19th-century pseudoscience of phrenology. He studied Native American remains and was trying to find links between the measurement, intellect, and character traits. It was a popular theory during the colonial era. Phrenology formulated racist theories of inferiority based on the shape and dimensions of remains. And the university has been trying to correct the negative impact that this kind of work has had on communities. Seventy-five years ago was the first repatriation event ever recorded in Scotland. And now, teamed with the University of Edinburgh, we completed the first international repatriation in history! An incredibly moving and emotional feat for our Nation. I was asked about this repatriation, and what it means, so I reflected on the trouble we’ve had here in the States with Auburn University and the continued search for Justice for Hickory Ground. I said, “We had to travel over 4,000 miles and cross an ocean to receive the kind of dignity and decency that we still cannot find here at home.”
It’s a 9-day journey that none of us will ever forget, and I hope it’s remembered for the lasting impact it has on our Nation.
Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.
MVTO,
Chief Hill
