On Saturday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) participated in the 30th Anniversary Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration at the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. During the event, he joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, whose historic appointment last year made her the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet Secretary position. The in-person event returned after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19 pandemic precautions.
“Georgia has a rich legacy of Native American life that stretches all the way back to the Stone Age,” said Congressman Bishop. “The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park is an archeological and cultural treasure. It was an honor to join Secretary Haaland and meet the leaders, youth, and artists of the Muscogee Creek Nation who have come together in their ancestral homelands to share their enduring and vibrant culture.”
During his remarks, Congressman Bishop acknowledged U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, who was also in attendance, noting that he looks forward to working with the Senator and Secretary Haaland in continued support of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.
Congressman Bishop was the sponsor of the bipartisan Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Revision Act, which was approved by Congress and signed into law in March 2019. The measure changed the site’s name from the “Ocmulgee National Monument” to the “Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.” It expanded the site’s boundaries from approximately 702 acres to over 2,800 acres, provided protection to additional archaeological resources, linked two currently noncontiguous areas, and improved the site’s connection to the City of Macon. It also authorized a resources study to explore the possibility of further expanding the park and including additional opportunities for hunting, camping, fishing, and other recreational activities.
The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park pays tribute to the Native Americans who first came to the historical site during the Paleo-Indian period, and serves as a lasting memorial to how individuals relate to the land and other natural resources.
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