A Twenty-First Century Pandemic in Indian Country: The Resilience of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Against COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic is not the first life-changing event experienced by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. Due to centuries of European encroachment, colonization, and pandemics, the Mvskoke have endured many significant historical events resulting in great trauma and turmoil, including the removal of nineteenth-century Mvskoke from their ancestral homelands. As this chapter reveals, it is with the memory and strength of those ancestors who experienced such an atrocious time in Muscogee (Creek) Nation history that the Mvskoke remain diligent on their life journey forward. Significant to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation is the perpetuation of Tribal knowledge and teachings to future generations, especially regarding cultural practices and lived experiences. In 2021 and 2022, the Muscogee (Ceek) Nation Historic and Cultural Preservation Department performed an oral history project. From this project, the Mvskoke voice offers critical insight into the pandemic experiences of twenty-first century Mvskoke people, including stories of sorrow and loss and lessons of resilience and survival. The Mvskoke pandemic story has much to teach us all.