Tag: Native American

Ohio golf course on 2,000-year-old ancient burial grounds will be closed, per legal settlement

The golf course property includes earthworks built 2,000 years ago by ancient American Indian peoples.

After more than a decade, the ongoing legal battle over the Newark Earthworks’ Octagon Mounds has ended.

Moundbuilders Country Club and Ohio History Connection reached a settlement to buy out Moundbuilders’ lease on the Newark Earthworks’ Octagon Mounds — clearing the way for full public access to the property — the Ohio History Connection announced Thursday.

The settlement sum is confidential per the terms of the agreement, according representatives for both entities.

As a result of the case settling, the Octagon Earthworks will fully open to the public Jan. 1. after being leased by the country club since 1910. Moundbuilders intends to operate the private country club at 125 N. 33rd St., Newark, as usual until Dec. 31, Moundbuilders attorney Joe Fraley said.

“The New Year will bring a new era to the Octagon Earthworks and the Ohio History Connection,” Ohio History Connection Board President Charles Moses said in a news release. “We are excited the Octagon, which is one of the eight locations in the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, Ohio’s first and only UNESCO World Heritage Site, will be fully open to the citizens of Ohio — and the world.”

The golf course property includes earthworks built 2,000 years ago by ancient American Indian peoples which are part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage site that includes multiple earthworks in central and southern Ohio. The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks earned World Heritage status in September.

The Ohio History Connection, formerly the Ohio Historical Society, was deeded the Great Circle and Octagon Earthworks in 1933 and extended the country club’s in 1997 to 2078. Moundbuilders and the Ohio History Connection began negotiating in January 2013 to provide full public access to the site. In November 2018, the Ohio History Connection sued the country club, intending to buy back the lease on the property. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in December 2022 that the Ohio History Connection could take the property back by eminent domain.

A jury trial in Licking County Common Pleas Court to determine the fair market value of the lease was scheduled for October, but it was delayed by an appeal of pretrial rulings made by Judge David Branstool and delayed again in May and July because of negotiations related to the settlement, according to the Ohio History Connection.

The settlement finally brings the legal battle to a close.

Visitors climb Observatory Mound at the Octagon Earthworks after a tour on Sunday, October 15, 2023. The Ohio History Connection held events at the Great Circle and Octagon Earthworks to celebrate their designation as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (Photo: Michael Lehmkuhle/The Advocate/USA Today Network)

“I think the intention of both parties is that all litigation will cease,” Fraley said.

Moundbuilders reached an agreement with The Trout Club to purchase the north Newark property by the end of the year, giving Moundbuilders a place to continue its golf tradition in Newark, which The Advocate reported last week.

Fraley said Moundbuilders and The Trout Club are continuing to work out the details of the purchase.

Fraley said the country club was clear throughout the legal process that “there could never be a settlement if the club couldn’t survive.”

While the settlement and The Trout Club purchase are not directly related, they are connected, Fraley said.

“There certainly was a relationship because we had to survive; and in order to survive, we had to find a home. And in this particular case, the two seem to be compatible.”

Ohio History Connection finalizing public access details for Newark’s Octagon Earthworks

Now that the court case has wrapped up, the Ohio History Connection can move forward with planning full public access to the Octagon Earthworks, Ohio History Connection spokesperson Neil Thompson said.

He said it will be similar to the Great Circle Earthworks, meaning there will be posted hours and scheduled time with staff members for tours and programs. The private nonprofit will spend the next five months finalizing the details before the 134-acre site opens to the public.

“We look forward to partnering with the community to bring vibrant and meaningful visitor experiences to this remarkable place, and we plan to provide more details after we officially take possession of the leasehold for the property,” Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Megan Wood said in a news release.

Planning is also underway specifically for Jan. 1 and how the Ohio History Connection wants to welcome not just Newark and Ohio residents but people from across the world to view this monumental, Native American landscape architecture that can not be found anywhere else in the world, Thompson said.

“We just are so happy that people are going to be able to see in person 365 days a year,” he said.

mdevito@gannett.com

Chiefs announce new policy changes related to American Indian symbolism

A number of new policies related to American Indian symbolism are coming to Arrowhead Stadium this fall.

The Kansas City Chiefs have released a statement reemphasizing their commitment to working with local and national groups in order to, “gain a better understanding of the issues facing American Indian communities.” At the same time, the team also seeks to better celebrate and raise awareness of American Indian cultures in the region.

Team officials have developed a number of new policies and measures related to American Indian symbolism that they announced today. Those changes include the following:

  • Fans will be prohibited from wearing headdresses into Arrowhead Stadium. It was previously only discouraged.
  • Face paint is allowed but cannot be styled in a way that appropriates American Indian cultures or traditions. Fans will be asked to remove inappropriately styled face paint before entering the stadium.
  • The Chiefs are in engaged in a “thorough review” of The Chop and have additional discussions about it planned for the future.
  • The team plans to modify the recently built “drum deck.” They seek to maintain the unifying effect that it has between the fans and the players, but also better represent the “spiritual significance” of the drum in American Indian cultures. One idea is to shift from a drum to something that symbolizes, “the heartbeat of the stadium.”
  • The Chiefs still plan to continue traditions such as the Blessing of the Four Directions and the Blessing of the Drum, which have occurred at Arrowhead Stadium the past several years. They also plan to continue inviting members of regional tribes to participate in the annual American Indian Heritage Month Game.
  • The Chiefs are also working on a “formalized educational program” regarding American Indian culture for fans and community members.

These changes come following the Washington Football Team’s decision to change their team nickname from the previous team name established in 1932, which included a racial slur toward American Indians.

The Chiefs will continue dialogue with local and national American Indian groups and leadership, with the hope of continued counsel and collaboration, so that the team can better represent American Indian cultures.

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