This Native American Heritage Month, Support the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Our Efforts To Protect Oak Flat From Destruction
By Terry Rambler, Chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Bildagoteel, is a sacred site and an incredibly significant place for the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Our people's religious and cultural identity is deeply intertwined with this land.
We believe that Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Bildagoteel, is the place where Usen, the Creator, made us, and where the Ga'an—guardians or messengers who protect us—dwell. This location is essential for preserving our traditions and conducting significant ceremonies for our community. The land is rich in traditional medicines, and its spring waters possess healing properties that cannot be found anywhere else.
When I visit Oak Flat and see the majestic oak trees and their beauty, I feel a deep connection to our Creator God. This experience is meaningful not only for me but for many Apaches as well.
The significance of Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Bildagoteel, for the Apache people can be compared to the importance of the Vatican for Catholics, Mecca for Muslims, and Mount Sinai for Jews.
Oak Flat was part of our ancestral homeland long before the United States existed as a country and Arizona became a state.
In the 1800s, when miners and settlers discovered precious metals near Oak Flat, the United States Cavalry and the federal government forcibly removed our people to a reservation to gain control of the land. Unfortunately, this was a practice that was common to Tribes everywhere during that time. Despite this, our connection to our ancestral land has never wavered, and we continue to pray, conduct ceremonies, and gather medicine at Oak Flat.
In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower withdrew Oak Flat from mining activities to preserve the area for use by all. More recently, Oak Flat was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP).
Despite these designations and previous treaties, Oak Flat is now at risk of being transferred to Resolution Copper, a foreign mining company owned by Rio Tinto and BHP, which plans to develop the largest copper mine in North America.
This mining project would create a crater measuring 1.8 miles across and at least 1,000 feet deep. The subsidence of Oak Flat will not only permanently alter the landscape but also sever our people's connection to our Creator God. It will impact our faith, our way of life, and everything we hold dear. No one should have the power to take this away from us.
Resolution Copper’s mine would transform our sacred land into a crater, contaminate it with 1.37 billion tons of toxic waste, and deplete 250 billion gallons of water—enough to supply a city of 140,000 people for 40 years—in a state already suffering from a severe drought.
We must think of future generations and consider what we will leave for them.
National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated every November to honor our history, culture, traditions, and achievements. To honor Native Americans during this observance month, I encourage everyone to learn about the rich history of Native peoples and Tribal communities in their state, as well as our current struggles to defend our rights and protect our sacred lands, including Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Bildagoteel, from destruction.
