New Creek Nation chief comments on casino controversy

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OKMULGEE, Okla. (AP) – A branch of the Muscogee Creek Nation that is seeking to build a casino in a Tulsa suburb hasn't followed proper procedures that would allow for gaming on the site, the tribe's principal chief said Monday.

The Creek Nation hasn't received an application from the Kialegee Tribal Town for a business lease from the Bureau of Indian Affairs or a request to the Creek tribal gaming commission to conduct gaming operations on a 20-acre site in Broken Arrow, Chief George Tiger said at a news conference. The land is owned by two sisters who are seeking to transfer their property to the Kialegees, but Tiger notes that the allotment falls under the Creeks' jurisdiction.

“Since I took an oath to uphold the laws of the Nation, it is my position as the principal chief of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation that the original restricted Creek allotment in question should not be used as the site of a tribal casino by any other tribe or tribal town without the consent of the Nation or without following all proper procedures,” Tiger said in a statement.

Kialegee Tribal Town, whose members are Creek Nation citizens, already has broken ground at the site and plans to erect a temporary facility until the permanent structure is completed.

The proposed casino has drawn the ire of residents in Broken Arrow, Tulsa's largest suburb, who have complained that the site is too close to a vocational-technology campus, a proposed daycare center and a church. State Attorney General Scott Pruitt also has asked the tribe to provide his office with documents connected to the casino site, and Sen. Tom Coburn and Rep. John Sullivan have sent letters to the gaming commission and Assistant U.S. Interior Secretary Larry Echo Hawk detailing residents' concerns.

A National Indian Gaming Commission official has said the agency is still reviewing information and hasn't given final approval for the casino, but an attorney for Kialegee Tribal Town has said the tribe doesn't need government approval.

A phone number for Kialegee Tribal Town in Wetumka rang unanswered Monday afternoon.

Tiger said the tribal town is an important part of the Creek Nation's heritage and he respects Kialegee Tribal Town's efforts to develop economic independence. The Creek Nation was made up of tribal towns before members were forcibly removed from the southeastern United States to present-day Oklahoma.

Tiger blamed the federal government for not keeping promises to provide a land base to the tribal towns.

“The unfortunate result of that failure has been to condemn these governments to operate in rural areas with a weak economy,” Tiger said. “This has proved true for the Kialegee Tribal Town.”

Still, Tiger said the solution isn't to build the casino without the Creek Nation's consent.

“To my knowledge, no request has been made to the Nation seeking consent, nor has an application been submitted to our Tribal Gaming Commission seeking a gaming license for that location,” Tiger said.

In a statement, Sullivan, R-Okla., said he intended to take Tiger's comments to a meeting with National Indian Gaming Commission and Department of Interior officials on Wednesday.

“I am confident it will carry much weight in my and the Broken Arrow community's efforts to stop the casino in its tracks,” Sullivan said.

Tiger said he planned to consult with the Creek Nation's legislative branch and national council on how to further address the issue.