Colonization of Indigenous lands is not only a legacy of the past. Indigenous communities today are still forced to defend their land from threats that jeopardize the integrity of sacred and historic spaces, including mining, pipelines, and deforestation.

Today, we will learn about Oak Flat in Arizona, known as Chíchʼil Biłdagoteel to the Apache. It is believed to be the place where the Creator touched the world and brought all life forth and is the site of many ongoing sacred ceremonies for the San Carlos Apache. Oak Flat is in danger of being mined for copper, which will physically destroy this sacred land, while also breaking an 1852 treaty signed by the U.S. government and the Western Apaches.

Getting Started:

• Article: Why Oak Flat in Arizona is a Sacred Space for the Apache and other Native Americans | Est. Reading Time: 7 min. | EarthBeat 
   

Going Deeper:

• Watch: Apache Stronghold Youth Organizer, Naelyn Pike, testifies at the Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States | 5 min. | House Natural Resources Committee 
  Hear Naelyn's testimony in defense of  the sacred Oak Flat. 
• Article: Miracles at Oak Flat: Brophy College Prep's Native American Club's Run for Indigenous Rights and Environmental Justice | Est. Reading Time: 5 min. | Ignatian Solidarity Network