Macon-Bibb County is holding Forward Together from Ocmulgee to Okmulgee, a flag-raising ceremony with the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, on Friday, January 20 at City Hall (700 Poplar Street) at 10:00 a.m. The event will be live streamed at www.Facebook.com/MaconBibbCounty.

Muscogee (Creek) Nation Chief David Hill and Second Chief Del Beaver will return to Macon from Oklahoma for this special occasion. During their visit, they will also get a tour of Macon-Bibb’s successes throughout the community.

As the former capital of Muscogean culture, Macon-Bibb County and the Ocmulgee River still hold unique significance to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Last month the Mayor signed an ordinance that was unanimously passed by the Commission to permanently raise the Muscogee (Creek) flag over Macon City Hall. The ordinance, which also places a land acknowledgement on the grounds of City Hall, symbolizes a growing relationship between the Macon-Bibb County Government, community, and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. The ordinance comes ahead of the redesignation of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park as the nation’s next National Park and Preserve. The National Park and Preserve is to be co-managed by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Department of Interior.

“As our communities continue to grow closer together with the shared goal of co-stewarding the lands we both consider sacred, it’s my honor to welcome them here to raise the Muscogee (Creek) Flag in their ancestral homeland,” says Mayor Miller.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation is a federally recognized tribe whose ancestral homeland was largely in Georgia and Alabama. The Muscogee (Creek) were removed to Oklahoma during Indian Removal in the 1830s, where they remain today with their headquarters in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The tribe is currently the 4th largest tribe in the United States with approximately 97,000 citizens.

“It’s our intent that this ceremony be the beginning of a governmental relationship and cultural exchange between Macon-Bibb County and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,” adds Mayor Miller. “It’s imperative for both communities that we strengthen our bond and trust in one another as we embark on this path toward the co-management of these sacred lands.”

The section of Poplar Street in front of City Hall, from D.T. Walton Way to First Street will be closed that morning beginning at 8:30 a.m. until the event is over.