Apache Stronghold Defends Oak Land Outside SCOTUS.
Apache Stronghold, a Native American group hoping to protect their sacred land “Oak Flat”, or Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, “the place where the Emory oak grows,” from a cooper mine Rio Tinto in Arizona.
Western Apaches, various Native American groups, and non-Native supporters asked the Supreme Court today to protect their sacred site at Oak Flat from destruction by a multinational mining giant, Rio Tinto.
In the case of Apache Stronghold v. United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stop the federal government from transferring Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a mining company owned by foreign interests, which intends to convert the area into a large mining crater, thereby permanently disrupting Apache religious practices. The Apaches, along with their allies, organized a day of prayer outside the Court, appealing to the Justices to preserve the spiritual essence vital to their community.
Western Apaches and other Native peoples have gathered at Oak Flat, outside of present-day Superior, Arizona, for sacred religious ceremonies that cannot take place anywhere else. Recognized in Apache as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, Oak Flat is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and has been protected from mining and other harmful practices for decades.
In December 2014, these protections were targeted when provision was added to a critical defense bill, permitting the transfer of Oak Flat to the Resolution Copper company. The majority owner of Resolution Copper, Rio Tinto, faced global outrage by intentionally demolishing Indigenous rock shelters that are 46,000 years old at one of Australia’s most important cultural locations.
Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold said : “Oak Flat is our Mt. Sinai—the most sacred place where generations of Apache have come to connect with our Creator, our faith, and our land, we pray the Justices will protect Oak Flat and ensure that our place of worship is not treated differently simply because it lacks four walls and a steeple.”
Chi’chil Biłdagoteel ( Oak Flat ) – is a sacred site for Apache people and many other Native Americans. It is a location for prayer, the collection of water and medicinal herbs for ceremonial purposes, the gathering of acorns and various food sources, as well as a place to pay tribute to those interred there. Oak Flat is open to all individuals who approach the area with respect.
Rio Tinto Group was established in 1873 when a group of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto, in Huelva, Spain, from the Spanish government. It’s a British-Australian multinational company that is the world’s second largest metals and mining corporation (behind BHP).