Current:Home > MarketsMemorial marks 210th anniversary of crucial battle between Native Americans and United States-LoTradeCoin
Memorial marks 210th anniversary of crucial battle between Native Americans and United States
View Date:2024-12-23 20:39:02
ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (AP) — Prayers and songs of remembrance carried across the grassy field where 800 Muscogee warriors, women and children perished in 1814 while defending their homeland from United States forces.
Members of the Muscogee Creek Nation returned to Alabama this weekend for a memorial service on the 210th anniversary of Horseshoe Bend. The battle was the single bloodiest day of conflict for Native Americans with U.S. troops and paved the way for white settler expansion in the Southeast and the tribe’s eventual forced removal from the region.
“We don’t come here to celebrate. We come here to commemorate, to remember the lives and stories of those who fought and honor their sacrifice,” David Hill, principal chief of the Muscogee Creek Nation, said at the Saturday ceremony.
One thousand warriors, along with women and children from six tribal towns, had taken refuge on the site, named for the sharp bend of the Tallapoosa River. They were attacked on March 27, 1814, by a force of 3,000 led by future U.S. President Andrew Jackson.
“They were going to fight to the end. The warriors were going to do what they could do to protect the women and children, protect themselves, protect our freedom, what we had here,” Hill said.
Leaders of the Muscogee Nation on Saturday placed a wreath on the battle site. The wreath was red, in honor of the warriors who were known as Red Sticks. It was decorated with six eagle feathers in recognition of the six tribal towns that had taken refuge there.
Despite signing a treaty with the United States, the Muscogee were eventually forcibly removed from the Southeast to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Some of their descendants made the journey back to the land their ancestors called home to attend the remembrance ceremony.
“Hearing the wind and the trees and imagining those that came before us, they heard those same things. It wakes something up in your DNA,” Dode Barnett, a member of the Muscogee Nation Tribal Council, said. Barnett said their story is one of survival.
RaeLynn Butler, the Muscogee Nation’s historic and cultural preservation manager, has visited the site multiple times but said it is emotional each time.
“When you hear the language and you hear the songs, it’s a feeling that is just overwhelming. Painful. Even though it’s hard to be here, it’s important that we share this history,” Butler said.
The Muscogee Nation has announced plans to try to place a permanent memorial at the site.
veryGood! (562)
Related
- Why Jersey Shore's Jenni JWoww Farley May Not Marry Her Fiancé Zack Clayton
- What you need to know about the debt ceiling as the deadline looms
- It’s Happened Before: Paleoclimate Study Shows Warming Oceans Could Lead to a Spike in Seabed Methane Emissions
- Germany's economy contracts, signaling a recession
- Nicole Scherzinger receives support from 'The View' hosts after election post controversy
- In Atlanta, Work on a New EPA Superfund Site Leaves Black Neighborhoods Wary, Fearing Gentrification
- A Vast Refinery Site in Philadelphia Is Being Redeveloped and Called ‘The Bellwether District.’ But for Black Residents Nearby, Justice Awaits
- Cardi B's Head-Turning Paris Fashion Week Looks Will Please You
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Lululemon’s Olympic Challenge to Reduce Its Emissions
Ranking
- John Krasinski named People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2024
- Robert De Niro's Daughter Says Her Son Leandro Died After Taking Fentanyl-Laced Pills
- The case for financial literacy education
- Study Underscores That Exposure to Air Pollution Harms Brain Development in the Very Young
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- 5 things people get wrong about the debt ceiling saga
- Why Beyoncé Just Canceled an Upcoming Stop on Her Renaissance Tour
- With Build Back Better Stalled, Expanded Funding for a Civilian Climate Corps Hangs in the Balance
Recommendation
-
Could trad wives, influencers have sparked the red wave among female voters?
-
Brittany Snow and Tyler Stanaland Finalize Divorce 9 Months After Breakup
-
With Epic Flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the State’s Governor Wants to Know ‘Why We Keep Getting Hit’
-
See the Moment Meghan Trainor's Son Riley Met His Baby Brother
-
Why Officials Believe a Missing Kayaker Faked His Own Death and Ran Off to Europe
-
Group agrees to buy Washington Commanders from Snyder family for record $6 billion
-
California Released a Bold Climate Plan, but Critics Say It Will Harm Vulnerable Communities and Undermine Its Goals
-
If you haven't logged into your Google account in over 2 years, it will be deleted