On Apache land, elders and other tribal members are standing up for the preservation of sacred sites.

Pictured: Tribal elders gather on December 2nd, 2021 outside of Senator Mark Kelly's office in Phoenix, Arizona in order to urge him to support the Save Oak Flat Act. Photo credits to AP Photo/Matt York

Last Thursday, San Carlos Apache tribal members held a demonstration outside of Senator Mark Kelly’s Phoenix, Arizona office, urging him to support the Save Oak Flat Act. The bill would protect Oak Flat, a sacred site for the San Carlos Apache and several other Southwest tribes, from mining projects.

For the Apache, Oak Flat is the dwelling place of the Ga'an, messengers or guardians who protect the Apache people. Known as Chi’chil Bildagoteel in the Apache language, the area also continues to be the site of important ceremonies and is home to medicinal and ceremonial plants that are key to Apache culture and spirituality.

The Apache were forced off of the majority of their lands in the late 1800s, but Oak Flat had been federally protected until a 2014 bill authorized the turnover of the lands to mining company Resolution Copper. Although the land swap was formally approved by the Trump administration in January 2021, a lawsuit filed soon after by nonprofit organization Apache Stronghold now awaits a 2022 ruling. The lawsuit argues that the proposed copper mine will leave a 2-mile crater in the sacred area.

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Sources include: Resources on this topic from Native News Online, Indian Country Today, the Washington Post, AP News, and the Phoenix New Times.