Opponents of a proposed copper mine east of Phoenix that would destroy one of the Apache’s most sacred sites said Wednesday at the White House amid rumors swirling that the Biden administration was making way for the land. We held a prayer meeting across the street. A replacement requested by the mine operator.
Tribal leaders joined Congress representatives, young activists, environmentalists and elders in praying, singing and communicating a clear message. “Save Oak Flat and other sacred sites”.
Arizona Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalba, who advocates blocking the land swap, has teamed up with Apache leaders and other congressional representatives to call on President Joe Biden to stop the mines. .
“We are here to pray that Biden reverses the destruction of the Holy Land,” Grijalva said.
Grijalva said previous administrations did not support tribal sanctuaries and Biden has a chance to overturn that. And it’s not just the holy land that’s at risk, he said, it’s the water.
Tribes, environmentalists and recreational activists have fought to stop the federal government from turning over Oak Flats, a 2,200-acre campground and riverfront in the Tonto National Forest, to the mining company Resolution Copper. . Environmentally Sensitive Lands in 2014.
Resolution’s proposal is that the mining methods used to extract the ore would cause the site to collapse into a crater two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, rendering Oak Flat unusable for religious practices and other activities. increase.
Rep. Melanie Stansbury (DN.M.) said the giant copper multinational is trying to wipe out the sacred site. “If they get the land, they’ll mine a crater taller than the Washington Monument.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, DN.M., said she hopes the prayers and messages from the wake will reach across the street to the White House and down the street to Congress. are not paying attention to what they need to be paying attention to,” she said.
San Carlos Apache Tribe Vice President Tao Epsom, who moderated the memorial service, said there were only three plants in the United States that could process the ore, so the copper would eventually end up in China. Stated.
Khechan President Jordan Joaquin said, “There is no need to dig another mine into the ground.” He said they are digging for DNA from the tribe’s ancestors. He said reissuing environmental impact statements would be harmful to tribes across the United States.
“They’re killing land, water and culture,” said Jonathan Cotin, a member of the Khechan Council. He sang devotional songs to support the Apache people. The Quechan tribe has successfully fought mining on and near sacred land in his BLM Lands north of present-day tribal lands in Imperial County, California.
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San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler said the mines would destroy areas their creators gave them to use. , said it would leave the nation’s largest superfund site behind after the mine was up and running some 40 years after it began mining.
Rambler said he wanted to speak to President Biden and ask him not to make any environmental impact statements.
“If he doesn’t issue it, the mine won’t go through,” he said.
“We met with tribal leaders at the White House and gave them the message that we needed to protect our land,” said Fawn of the National Indian Convention, America’s largest tribal advocacy group. “When our ancestors negotiated treaties, the provisions were saved for us,” she said.
Biden’s campaign promises to take back the soul of America won’t come to fruition if the administration fails to protect the spiritual places of the tribes, she said.
Special Report:Indigenous people find legal and cultural barriers to protect sacred space from tribal lands
Tribal leaders from Oklahoma and North Carolina and the president of the Arizona Intertribal Association worked with Arizona tribal leaders to provide assistance.
Etpison of the San Carlos Apache Tribe said he has met with the Historic Preservation Advisory Board and has concerns about the project. He said the board has asked the administration for clarification, but he has not received any response.
“Although there have been no meaningful discussions with the tribes, the administration is moving forward to give the copper to the Chinese,” Eppison said.
Resolution is owned by British and Australian mining companies Rio Tinto and BHP. An Australian financial institution said: Rio Tinto’s largest shareholder is a Chinese company.
Police watched a group, including at least one elder in a wheelchair, stand in front of the White House.
Events suggest the federal government is nearing a decision
Opponents of landmines point to several events that show the Biden administration is working to pave the way for advancing landmines.
About a week after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rehearsed a lawsuit brought by grassroots advocacy group Apache Stronghold, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment, Homer Wilkes. Met mine opponents personally at Oak Flats During a public visit to the San Carlos Apache Tribe to discuss the tribe’s forest conservation project.
Meanwhile, Wilkes also met with the San Carlos Apache Tribal Council, who said the Forest Service is finalizing a new environmental impact statement. Biden withdrew in March 2021 for review and new consultations with affected tribes.
Rambler also said the Forest Service has broken a February 2022 pledge to establish formal parameters for consultation with tribes before new environmental impact statements are released.
Court hearing:Judge Considers Religious Rights Issue Over Copper Mines in Proposed Resolution
These events and rumors circulating in Washington and elsewhere led Rambler to believe that “something was happening” in Oak Flat, he told the Arizona Republic in early April. And there is no mitigation to compensate for the disappearance of the Oak Flat (Chí’chil Biłdagoteel), a ‘large area of emery oak trees’.
One persistent rumor was that only one tribe opposed the mines.But almost all tribes in Arizona Support the efforts of the Apache people to stop the miningdo so National Indian Congress and the Native American Rights Fund.
Many religious leaders and religious liberty groups, including leaders of various faiths, including Muslims, Jews, Mennonites, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have endorsed the plan, as have environmentalists and recreational enthusiasts. is against
Opponents of the mine are also making their case to an international audience.Appeared in front of Rambler United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues On April 18, we asked for help to protect Oak Flat and other sacred Indigenous sites.
Tohono Odham Chairman Ned Norris told the Republic that the tribes have a duty to protect their lands, including sacred sites, whether within reservations or ancestral lands. , has its own problem of mining on ancestral land that is not within the boundaries of the current Tribal Trust Land.
If the Oak Flats land swap happened, Norris said, “It would be a slap in the face for the tribe.”
Debra Krol reports on indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West.Reach Kroll debra.krol@azcentral.comFollow her on Twitter. @Deb Kroll.
Coverage of Indigenous issues at the intersection of climate, culture and commerce is supported by the Catena Foundation.
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