TVLSE, Oklv. – On Sept. 10, a small crowd gathered at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma in celebration. This celebration and talk was presented by Cherokee Author Rebecca Nagle, who was on tour to celebrate the release of her new book, “By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land”, which had officially released that same day. Along with Nagle were three other panelists who were all featured in the book, and helped answer questions about its contents. These included Philip Tinker, an Osage lawyer who worked on the McGirt court case, Rosemary McCombs Maxey, a Muscogee first language speaker, a Muscogee elder, and language teacher at the College of the Muscogee Nation, and finally, James Floyd, who previously served as Principal Chief of the Muscogee Nation when the McGirt court case went to the U.S. Supreme Court. These three, along with Rebecca Nagle, were part of a panel who read an excerpt from the book and answered questions that were provided by Nagle and questions from the audience.
During this panel Rebecca Nagle made sure to stress the importance of the McGirt decision, which “resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in U.S history. Added together, the five tribal reservations cover 19 million acres, which is about half the land in Oklahoma and most of the city of Tulsa. It is an area larger than West Virginia and nine other U.S states,” according to Nagle.
She then continued on the topic of the history of tribal sovereignty. “The historic status of regret is ironic when you understand what happened legally. The Supreme Court didn’t overturn anything, strike anything down, or change their own precedent. All the court did was follow the law, but still, that was radical. When it comes to tribal sovereignty, the U.S. government is spineless. Most often, when states of non-Native people want something that belongs to a tribe, whether its gold, oil, land, or power, they get it, even when the law clearly protects the tribe. Greed, not justice, has governed more of our history than we are willing to admit.” Nagle said.
She then discussed the reaffirmation of tribal rights to the land in a later statement. “Despite everything that was taken from our tribes, our reservations were never abolished. You can’t give back what already belongs to someone in one of the darkest chapters of American history. This land was promised to us for as long as the grass grows or the water runs. In Eastern Oklahoma, the grass is still growing, the water is still running, our fires still burn, and we are still here. Despite the grave injustices of history, our legal rights to our lands never ended.” she said.
Nagle will appear for a book stop at the College of Muscogee Nation on Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Copies of “By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land” will be available for purchase.
