SUPERIOR, Ariz. – The rugged patch of land known as Oak Flat sits in the Tonto National Forest. To the San Carlos Apache Tribe, the 740-acre swath of oak groves and sheer cliffs is sacred ground, a place where they have gone for centuries to hold religious ceremonies and communicate with the Creator.But Oak Flat is on a path to destruction.
"We're still trying to defend who we are," said Nosie, who has been camped out at Oak Flat for more than a year as part of his mission to stop the mine. The Oak Flat area has been considered a holy place for thousands of years, the home of spiritual beings known as Ga'an. Apaches go there to pray, to seek personal cleansing and to hold ceremonies that connect them to their ancestors. It is also a popular campground and hiking destination.
But in December 2014, Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona slipped a last-minute rider into a must-pass defense spending bill. The move amounted to a bonanza for Resolution Copper, which is jointly owned by two mining titans — the Rio Tinto Group of the U.K. and BHP Billiton Ltd. of Australia.Christine Romo / NBC News
Peacey said company officials have set up a tribal monitoring program, with dozens of trained monitors from several tribes working alongside archaeologists to identify features of the landscape that hold special meaning."Every plant, every animal, water feature, rocks," Peacey said."It's really helped shape our mining plan."
The mining company plans to extract the copper using a method known as block caving, which over time will cause the ground to collapse and create a pit that the company acknowledges will be nearly 2 miles long and 1,000 feet deep. Oak Flat, along with its petroglyph-covered walls and Apache burial sites, is set to be swallowed up in a crater deep enough to hold the Eiffel Tower."We need for this project to move forward," Mayor Mila Besich-Lira said, citing its economic benefits.
"The Oak Flat Parcel of the proposed Resolution Copper Mine Project is located right smack dab in the middle of the Western Apaches' 1852 Treaty lands," the lawsuit says. The treaty was"never amended, rescinded, nor terminated," it adds. The Apaches have already suffered one legal defeat. The judge denied their emergency request to block the transfer.
Im glad we are moving towards the future. The Indians need to understand its not their land its the American peoples land
Outrageous. Why would they give Apache land to two foreign companies. They stand to make a lot of money while the USA once again screws the Native American Indian. JoeBiden POTUS this must be stopped NOW!
Society needs minerals, the ugly truth. We all use them, we can’t choose where they are located, and we can’t recycle everything we need. The USFS said it’s working with a dozen tribes in the area, but it appears this is the only one opposing the mine.
That land belongs to the Apache’s. How many more need to die defending their land. The American government had no right to take their land away again. Enough already ! We need to learn to respect other cultures, religion and rights. Money is not the answer to everything.
THE LAND BELONGS TO THE INDIAN'S, PERIOD!!🤔🤬🏛🤷♀️
ekterashima This is only going to get worse, the Biden Administration needs to take action now.
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