Macon Magazine

28 maconmagazine.com | APRIL/MAY 2022 PRESERVING OUR PAST, PROTECTING OUR PRESENT, PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE: STRENGTHEN THEIR VOICES BY SAYING THEIR NAMES BY LISA MAYFIELD SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH The fourth in a series of articles exploring the past, present and future of the Ocmulgee National Historical Park and Ocmulgee River corridor. Read the first three articles at maconmagazine.com. T hough her path to the Ocmulgee National Historical Park was somewhat circuitous, the experience Tracie Revis has gained in her many positions serving Native American populations across the country naturally prepared her for a pilgrimage to Middle Georgia's sacred regions along the Ocmulgee River. Today, Revis has returned to her ancestral roots and taken a position as director of advocacy for the Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative (ONPPI). When Native Americans introduce themselves, it is usually in the traditional manner, in their own language, saying their name and where they are from, Revis explained. "I am Yuchi and Muscogee (Creek)," she said, in greeting. "I am of the Wolf Clan and from the Polecat Ceremonial Ground." But for Revis, coming to Macon is something of a homecoming. "Prior to the various removals of my ancestors, the Ocmulgee River was home to several of the lower Creeks," she said. "My Yuchi community lived along this river and drank from this water; they fished from this water and protected this water. ... My family was part of the effort in the 1970s to bring a tribal voice to the Ocmulgee Mounds." Her aunt, whose photo hangs on the wall in the park's visitor center, served as cultural interpreter here. Another aunt and uncle worked at the park while in college. Others, whose photos adorn the visitor center's walls, are friends and relatives Revis recognizes from Oklahoma. "It's like walking into a family living room and seeing my relatives' photos on the wall," she said. "This is home." But even more than the photos, she said, are the songs that were sung and the language that was spoken: "If sounds are just vibrations, then I believe those vibrations are still there at Ocmulgee. It is nice to be at a place where our people had peace." Revis' entire career has been dedicated to serving Indian Country. "I am of mixed blood," she explained. Her father is full-blooded Native American while her mother is non-Native. While she lived all over the country while growing up, it was to her cultural heritage that Revis felt most connected: "I was raised around Indian ceremonies; I loved my culture and loved the lessons that I learned just growing up Native." These early experiences naturally influenced her career choices. "I went to school determined to fight for Indian children and to give them a voice," Revis said. Her first professional position was in Los Angeles, home to the second largest urban Indian community in the nation, where she served as director for a non-profit after-school program that received funding from Indian Health Services (IHS). Here, Revis worked hard to advocate for children whose cultural identities were becoming lost in a "sea of ethnicities." This position propelled her toward more education so she could help more Native Americans on a larger scale. Returning to Oklahoma to pursue a graduate degree, Revis focused on organizational development, which allowed her to work on various projects and grants centered on the welfare and economic stability of Indian Country. Following the completion of her graduate degree, Revis attended law school, but her law studies were interrupted by a cancer diagnosis. "Unfortunately, as a student, I didn't have insurance and was forced to utilize Indian Health Services," Revis said. Initially denied treatment, she finally began radiation treatments, but was ostracized for being a patient of IHS and on many occasions asked to produce her "Indian papers." "It was ludicrous to me that as a 27-year-old educated woman, I was having to prove to this provider that I needed the treatment and that I deserved it," Revis said.

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