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#protectoakflat — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #protectoakflat, aggregated by home.social.

  1. #ApacheStronghold #HolyGround Ceremony

    March 28, 2026

    "On Saturday, March 28th at 8 am, a Holy Ground Ceremony will be held in #SanCarlosAZ, at the 7 mile Holy Ground. Those who do not know the location are welcome to camp at the Nosie’s Residence Friday night or meet there at 7 am to follow us to 7 mile Holy Ground. More information about Sunday March 29th will be available tomorrow. Announcements will be made in person at ceremony."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #SaveOakFlat #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #Arizona #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance
    #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest
    #WesternApache #ProtectTheSacred
    #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  2. #ApacheStronghold #HolyGround Ceremony

    March 28, 2026

    "On Saturday, March 28th at 8 am, a Holy Ground Ceremony will be held in #SanCarlosAZ, at the 7 mile Holy Ground. Those who do not know the location are welcome to camp at the Nosie’s Residence Friday night or meet there at 7 am to follow us to 7 mile Holy Ground. More information about Sunday March 29th will be available tomorrow. Announcements will be made in person at ceremony."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #SaveOakFlat #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #Arizona #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance
    #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest
    #WesternApache #ProtectTheSacred
    #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  3. #ApacheStronghold #HolyGround Ceremony

    March 28, 2026

    "On Saturday, March 28th at 8 am, a Holy Ground Ceremony will be held in #SanCarlosAZ, at the 7 mile Holy Ground. Those who do not know the location are welcome to camp at the Nosie’s Residence Friday night or meet there at 7 am to follow us to 7 mile Holy Ground. More information about Sunday March 29th will be available tomorrow. Announcements will be made in person at ceremony."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #SaveOakFlat #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #Arizona #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance
    #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest
    #WesternApache #ProtectTheSacred
    #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  4. #ApacheStronghold #HolyGround Ceremony

    March 28, 2026

    "On Saturday, March 28th at 8 am, a Holy Ground Ceremony will be held in #SanCarlosAZ, at the 7 mile Holy Ground. Those who do not know the location are welcome to camp at the Nosie’s Residence Friday night or meet there at 7 am to follow us to 7 mile Holy Ground. More information about Sunday March 29th will be available tomorrow. Announcements will be made in person at ceremony."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #SaveOakFlat #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #Arizona #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance
    #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest
    #WesternApache #ProtectTheSacred
    #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  5. #ApacheStronghold #HolyGround Ceremony

    March 28, 2026

    "On Saturday, March 28th at 8 am, a Holy Ground Ceremony will be held in #SanCarlosAZ, at the 7 mile Holy Ground. Those who do not know the location are welcome to camp at the Nosie’s Residence Friday night or meet there at 7 am to follow us to 7 mile Holy Ground. More information about Sunday March 29th will be available tomorrow. Announcements will be made in person at ceremony."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #SaveOakFlat #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #Arizona #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance
    #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest
    #WesternApache #ProtectTheSacred
    #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  6. #ApacheStronghold 'We Are Still Fighting'

    Statement from Dr. #WendslerNosie Sr.
    March 20, 2026

    "Many of you have heard that on Friday, the Ninth Circuit again refused to stop the Government from giving #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper for destruction. This is sad news. But we will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat and each place that is sacred to our people. And we are still fighting—in the courts, in Congress, and, most importantly, spiritually.

    In the courts, there are still four lawsuits seeking to protect Oak Flat. All four cases are still going. And any one of these cases could still put a stop to the Government’s and Resolution’s plans to destroy Oak Flat:

    - In Lopez v. United States, on the day after Friday’s ruling, seven brave Apache women filed an emergency appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to stop the mine and protect Oak Flat. The Supreme Court could rule on that appeal any day. The women in that case can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in their case. The deadline to ask for reconsideration is April 27, 2026. That case focuses on religious freedom.
    - In #SanCarlosApache Tribe v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, the Tribe can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the Tribe’s rights, tribal consultation, and the inadequacy of the government’s decision-making process.
    - In Arizona #Mining Reform Coalition v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, several environmental groups and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the government’s unfair appraisal of Oak Flat and inadequate #EnvironmentalReview.
    - Apache Stronghold v. United States, which is our case, has been 'stayed' (or temporarily put on hold) waiting for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which came on Friday. Now that the Ninth Circuit has ruled, our case will start again in the district court. We will continue making every possible legal claim to protect Oak Flat.

    In Congress, on Tuesday, Representative #AdelitaGrijalva introduced legislation to preserve public lands in the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District and fight back against the proposed mine. This bill is an important part of the fight to protect Oak Flat.

    But even more than legally and politically, we are continuing to fight spiritually. This fight has never been primarily about law or politics. It is about who we are as human beings, religiously and spiritually. If we allow sacred places to be destroyed for profit, we are saying that nothing is truly sacred. We are losing something essential about our humanity—our ability to respect #MotherEarth, to honor what is holy, and to live in balance with the world around us.

    That is why we are calling on all people to continue raising their voices, in prayer and protest, to protect Oak Flat—to protect the sacred. We, the Apache Stronghold, invite you to an upcoming spiritual gathering on March 28-29, 2026 at Oak Flat.

    The legal system may try to reduce our struggle to questions of ownership and profit. But our connection to Mother Earth predates those systems. It is something each one of us is born into, something we carry in our prayers, our songs, and our way of life. No matter what the courts rule, no matter what the government tries to do, we will never stop fighting to preserve our sacred places. We will not lose our connection to the Creator."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  7. #ApacheStronghold 'We Are Still Fighting'

    Statement from Dr. #WendslerNosie Sr.
    March 20, 2026

    "Many of you have heard that on Friday, the Ninth Circuit again refused to stop the Government from giving #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper for destruction. This is sad news. But we will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat and each place that is sacred to our people. And we are still fighting—in the courts, in Congress, and, most importantly, spiritually.

    In the courts, there are still four lawsuits seeking to protect Oak Flat. All four cases are still going. And any one of these cases could still put a stop to the Government’s and Resolution’s plans to destroy Oak Flat:

    - In Lopez v. United States, on the day after Friday’s ruling, seven brave Apache women filed an emergency appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to stop the mine and protect Oak Flat. The Supreme Court could rule on that appeal any day. The women in that case can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in their case. The deadline to ask for reconsideration is April 27, 2026. That case focuses on religious freedom.
    - In #SanCarlosApache Tribe v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, the Tribe can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the Tribe’s rights, tribal consultation, and the inadequacy of the government’s decision-making process.
    - In Arizona #Mining Reform Coalition v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, several environmental groups and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the government’s unfair appraisal of Oak Flat and inadequate #EnvironmentalReview.
    - Apache Stronghold v. United States, which is our case, has been 'stayed' (or temporarily put on hold) waiting for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which came on Friday. Now that the Ninth Circuit has ruled, our case will start again in the district court. We will continue making every possible legal claim to protect Oak Flat.

    In Congress, on Tuesday, Representative #AdelitaGrijalva introduced legislation to preserve public lands in the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District and fight back against the proposed mine. This bill is an important part of the fight to protect Oak Flat.

    But even more than legally and politically, we are continuing to fight spiritually. This fight has never been primarily about law or politics. It is about who we are as human beings, religiously and spiritually. If we allow sacred places to be destroyed for profit, we are saying that nothing is truly sacred. We are losing something essential about our humanity—our ability to respect #MotherEarth, to honor what is holy, and to live in balance with the world around us.

    That is why we are calling on all people to continue raising their voices, in prayer and protest, to protect Oak Flat—to protect the sacred. We, the Apache Stronghold, invite you to an upcoming spiritual gathering on March 28-29, 2026 at Oak Flat.

    The legal system may try to reduce our struggle to questions of ownership and profit. But our connection to Mother Earth predates those systems. It is something each one of us is born into, something we carry in our prayers, our songs, and our way of life. No matter what the courts rule, no matter what the government tries to do, we will never stop fighting to preserve our sacred places. We will not lose our connection to the Creator."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  8. #ApacheStronghold 'We Are Still Fighting'

    Statement from Dr. #WendslerNosie Sr.
    March 20, 2026

    "Many of you have heard that on Friday, the Ninth Circuit again refused to stop the Government from giving #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper for destruction. This is sad news. But we will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat and each place that is sacred to our people. And we are still fighting—in the courts, in Congress, and, most importantly, spiritually.

    In the courts, there are still four lawsuits seeking to protect Oak Flat. All four cases are still going. And any one of these cases could still put a stop to the Government’s and Resolution’s plans to destroy Oak Flat:

    - In Lopez v. United States, on the day after Friday’s ruling, seven brave Apache women filed an emergency appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to stop the mine and protect Oak Flat. The Supreme Court could rule on that appeal any day. The women in that case can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in their case. The deadline to ask for reconsideration is April 27, 2026. That case focuses on religious freedom.
    - In #SanCarlosApache Tribe v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, the Tribe can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the Tribe’s rights, tribal consultation, and the inadequacy of the government’s decision-making process.
    - In Arizona #Mining Reform Coalition v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, several environmental groups and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the government’s unfair appraisal of Oak Flat and inadequate #EnvironmentalReview.
    - Apache Stronghold v. United States, which is our case, has been 'stayed' (or temporarily put on hold) waiting for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which came on Friday. Now that the Ninth Circuit has ruled, our case will start again in the district court. We will continue making every possible legal claim to protect Oak Flat.

    In Congress, on Tuesday, Representative #AdelitaGrijalva introduced legislation to preserve public lands in the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District and fight back against the proposed mine. This bill is an important part of the fight to protect Oak Flat.

    But even more than legally and politically, we are continuing to fight spiritually. This fight has never been primarily about law or politics. It is about who we are as human beings, religiously and spiritually. If we allow sacred places to be destroyed for profit, we are saying that nothing is truly sacred. We are losing something essential about our humanity—our ability to respect #MotherEarth, to honor what is holy, and to live in balance with the world around us.

    That is why we are calling on all people to continue raising their voices, in prayer and protest, to protect Oak Flat—to protect the sacred. We, the Apache Stronghold, invite you to an upcoming spiritual gathering on March 28-29, 2026 at Oak Flat.

    The legal system may try to reduce our struggle to questions of ownership and profit. But our connection to Mother Earth predates those systems. It is something each one of us is born into, something we carry in our prayers, our songs, and our way of life. No matter what the courts rule, no matter what the government tries to do, we will never stop fighting to preserve our sacred places. We will not lose our connection to the Creator."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  9. #ApacheStronghold 'We Are Still Fighting'

    Statement from Dr. #WendslerNosie Sr.
    March 20, 2026

    "Many of you have heard that on Friday, the Ninth Circuit again refused to stop the Government from giving #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper for destruction. This is sad news. But we will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat and each place that is sacred to our people. And we are still fighting—in the courts, in Congress, and, most importantly, spiritually.

    In the courts, there are still four lawsuits seeking to protect Oak Flat. All four cases are still going. And any one of these cases could still put a stop to the Government’s and Resolution’s plans to destroy Oak Flat:

    - In Lopez v. United States, on the day after Friday’s ruling, seven brave Apache women filed an emergency appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to stop the mine and protect Oak Flat. The Supreme Court could rule on that appeal any day. The women in that case can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in their case. The deadline to ask for reconsideration is April 27, 2026. That case focuses on religious freedom.
    - In #SanCarlosApache Tribe v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, the Tribe can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the Tribe’s rights, tribal consultation, and the inadequacy of the government’s decision-making process.
    - In Arizona #Mining Reform Coalition v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, several environmental groups and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the government’s unfair appraisal of Oak Flat and inadequate #EnvironmentalReview.
    - Apache Stronghold v. United States, which is our case, has been 'stayed' (or temporarily put on hold) waiting for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which came on Friday. Now that the Ninth Circuit has ruled, our case will start again in the district court. We will continue making every possible legal claim to protect Oak Flat.

    In Congress, on Tuesday, Representative #AdelitaGrijalva introduced legislation to preserve public lands in the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District and fight back against the proposed mine. This bill is an important part of the fight to protect Oak Flat.

    But even more than legally and politically, we are continuing to fight spiritually. This fight has never been primarily about law or politics. It is about who we are as human beings, religiously and spiritually. If we allow sacred places to be destroyed for profit, we are saying that nothing is truly sacred. We are losing something essential about our humanity—our ability to respect #MotherEarth, to honor what is holy, and to live in balance with the world around us.

    That is why we are calling on all people to continue raising their voices, in prayer and protest, to protect Oak Flat—to protect the sacred. We, the Apache Stronghold, invite you to an upcoming spiritual gathering on March 28-29, 2026 at Oak Flat.

    The legal system may try to reduce our struggle to questions of ownership and profit. But our connection to Mother Earth predates those systems. It is something each one of us is born into, something we carry in our prayers, our songs, and our way of life. No matter what the courts rule, no matter what the government tries to do, we will never stop fighting to preserve our sacred places. We will not lose our connection to the Creator."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  10. #ApacheStronghold 'We Are Still Fighting'

    Statement from Dr. #WendslerNosie Sr.
    March 20, 2026

    "Many of you have heard that on Friday, the Ninth Circuit again refused to stop the Government from giving #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper for destruction. This is sad news. But we will never stop fighting to protect Oak Flat and each place that is sacred to our people. And we are still fighting—in the courts, in Congress, and, most importantly, spiritually.

    In the courts, there are still four lawsuits seeking to protect Oak Flat. All four cases are still going. And any one of these cases could still put a stop to the Government’s and Resolution’s plans to destroy Oak Flat:

    - In Lopez v. United States, on the day after Friday’s ruling, seven brave Apache women filed an emergency appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to stop the mine and protect Oak Flat. The Supreme Court could rule on that appeal any day. The women in that case can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling in their case. The deadline to ask for reconsideration is April 27, 2026. That case focuses on religious freedom.
    - In #SanCarlosApache Tribe v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, the Tribe can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the Tribe’s rights, tribal consultation, and the inadequacy of the government’s decision-making process.
    - In Arizona #Mining Reform Coalition v. United States, also part of Friday’s ruling, several environmental groups and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona can also ask the Ninth Circuit to reconsider its ruling and/or appeal to the Supreme Court. That case focuses on the government’s unfair appraisal of Oak Flat and inadequate #EnvironmentalReview.
    - Apache Stronghold v. United States, which is our case, has been 'stayed' (or temporarily put on hold) waiting for the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, which came on Friday. Now that the Ninth Circuit has ruled, our case will start again in the district court. We will continue making every possible legal claim to protect Oak Flat.

    In Congress, on Tuesday, Representative #AdelitaGrijalva introduced legislation to preserve public lands in the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District and fight back against the proposed mine. This bill is an important part of the fight to protect Oak Flat.

    But even more than legally and politically, we are continuing to fight spiritually. This fight has never been primarily about law or politics. It is about who we are as human beings, religiously and spiritually. If we allow sacred places to be destroyed for profit, we are saying that nothing is truly sacred. We are losing something essential about our humanity—our ability to respect #MotherEarth, to honor what is holy, and to live in balance with the world around us.

    That is why we are calling on all people to continue raising their voices, in prayer and protest, to protect Oak Flat—to protect the sacred. We, the Apache Stronghold, invite you to an upcoming spiritual gathering on March 28-29, 2026 at Oak Flat.

    The legal system may try to reduce our struggle to questions of ownership and profit. But our connection to Mother Earth predates those systems. It is something each one of us is born into, something we carry in our prayers, our songs, and our way of life. No matter what the courts rule, no matter what the government tries to do, we will never stop fighting to preserve our sacred places. We will not lose our connection to the Creator."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/03

    #ChíchilBiłdagoteel #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  11. #OakFlat March and Run: #ApacheStronghold Photos

    By Apache Stronghold, Censored News, Feb. 9, 2026

    "12th Annual #OakFlatMarch/Run. The final day of the run, Saturday, February 7, 2026, the experienced runners passed through the final corridor, ending at the Oak Flat campground. The annual gathering followed, with speakers representing many tribes, backgrounds, and ages sharing their thoughts on Oak Flat and the importance of protecting this sacred and irreplaceable site. Photos by Molly Peters.

    Apache Stronghold is battling to protect Oak Flat from becoming the gigantic crater of a copper mine, that would destroy the Sacred Ceremonial Place, seize and pollute the water, and poison the air and land."

    Source (includes photos):
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  12. #OakFlat March and Run: #ApacheStronghold Photos

    By Apache Stronghold, Censored News, Feb. 9, 2026

    "12th Annual #OakFlatMarch/Run. The final day of the run, Saturday, February 7, 2026, the experienced runners passed through the final corridor, ending at the Oak Flat campground. The annual gathering followed, with speakers representing many tribes, backgrounds, and ages sharing their thoughts on Oak Flat and the importance of protecting this sacred and irreplaceable site. Photos by Molly Peters.

    Apache Stronghold is battling to protect Oak Flat from becoming the gigantic crater of a copper mine, that would destroy the Sacred Ceremonial Place, seize and pollute the water, and poison the air and land."

    Source (includes photos):
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  13. #OakFlat March and Run: #ApacheStronghold Photos

    By Apache Stronghold, Censored News, Feb. 9, 2026

    "12th Annual #OakFlatMarch/Run. The final day of the run, Saturday, February 7, 2026, the experienced runners passed through the final corridor, ending at the Oak Flat campground. The annual gathering followed, with speakers representing many tribes, backgrounds, and ages sharing their thoughts on Oak Flat and the importance of protecting this sacred and irreplaceable site. Photos by Molly Peters.

    Apache Stronghold is battling to protect Oak Flat from becoming the gigantic crater of a copper mine, that would destroy the Sacred Ceremonial Place, seize and pollute the water, and poison the air and land."

    Source (includes photos):
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  14. #OakFlat March and Run: #ApacheStronghold Photos

    By Apache Stronghold, Censored News, Feb. 9, 2026

    "12th Annual #OakFlatMarch/Run. The final day of the run, Saturday, February 7, 2026, the experienced runners passed through the final corridor, ending at the Oak Flat campground. The annual gathering followed, with speakers representing many tribes, backgrounds, and ages sharing their thoughts on Oak Flat and the importance of protecting this sacred and irreplaceable site. Photos by Molly Peters.

    Apache Stronghold is battling to protect Oak Flat from becoming the gigantic crater of a copper mine, that would destroy the Sacred Ceremonial Place, seize and pollute the water, and poison the air and land."

    Source (includes photos):
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  15. #OakFlat March and Run: #ApacheStronghold Photos

    By Apache Stronghold, Censored News, Feb. 9, 2026

    "12th Annual #OakFlatMarch/Run. The final day of the run, Saturday, February 7, 2026, the experienced runners passed through the final corridor, ending at the Oak Flat campground. The annual gathering followed, with speakers representing many tribes, backgrounds, and ages sharing their thoughts on Oak Flat and the importance of protecting this sacred and irreplaceable site. Photos by Molly Peters.

    Apache Stronghold is battling to protect Oak Flat from becoming the gigantic crater of a copper mine, that would destroy the Sacred Ceremonial Place, seize and pollute the water, and poison the air and land."

    Source (includes photos):
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #IndigenousNews #IndigenousActivism #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  16. #SanCarlosApache Tribe welcomes Federal Court ruling delaying trade of sacred Oak Flat to Chinese-backed #ResolutionCopper

    By San Carlos Apache Tribe, Censored News, June 9, 2025

    #SanCarlosApacheNation, #Arizona — "The San Carlos Apache Tribe welcomes Friday’s federal court ruling preventing the Trump Administration from trading sacred Oak Flat to Chinese-backed Resolution #CopperMining no sooner than 60 days after the government releases an environmental report expected to be published later this month.

    "The #Trump Administration had indicated that it intended to trade 2,422 acres of #TontoNationalForest 70 miles east of #PhoenixAZ that includes Oak Flat to Resolution Copper immediately upon publication of the mine’s updated environmental report.

    U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza’s order 'preclude(s) the United States Forest Service from proceeding with the challenged land exchange until 60 days after the issuance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, which is anticipated to be issued on June 16.'

    " 'We are grateful that Judge Lanza has provided us an opportunity to be heard,' said San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler. 'The two-month window provides the Tribe an opportunity to file an amended lawsuit challenging the legality of the pending environmental report and request an injunction to stop the land exchange until the merits of our case are settled.'

    "The Oak Flat land transfer was mandated by a last-minute amendment to the FY2015 #NationalDefenseAuthorizationAct that was added by the late Arizona Senator #JohnMcCain and former Arizona Senator #JeffFlake. The land transfer provision, which failed to pass Congress in previous years, avoided the normal course of business and was not debated before it was added to the mustsign [#NDAA] defense spending bill that was signed into law by President Barack #Obama.

    " 'The bill that authorized the land exchange is not in the best interest of the American people, Arizona or the San Carlos Apache Tribe,' Chairman Rambler stated. 'We have filed this lawsuit because of our concerns of the mine’s massive use of groundwater, which will be devastating for both Arizona
    and eventually the Tribe. We are also deeply concerned about the environmental destruction and the obliteration of Oak Flat will have on Apache culture and religion.'

    "Resolution plans to collapse Oak Flat, known as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel in Apache, into a two-mile wide, 1,100-foot-deep crater. Chi’chil Biłdagoteel is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Place.

    "Resolution Copper is owned by Melbourne-based #BHP (45%) and London-based #RioTinto (55%), the two largest mining companies in the world. The Chinese state-owned Aluminum Corporation of China, which spearheads China’s acquisition of strategic minerals worldwide, is Rio Tinto’s single largest investor with a 14.6% stake. Both BHP and Rio Tinto rely on China for the majority of their revenue.

    " 'We fully expect Resolution’s copper to be exported to China, which poses a national security threat,' Chairman Rambler said. “The United States already exports 30 percent of the copper produced by U.S. mines because of a lack of copper smelting capacity.

    "'The Trump Administration’s Oak Flat appraisal concludes that Resolution’s copper will be exported to southeast Asia,' Chairman Rambler added. 'It’s clearly in the best interest of the United States to withhold publication of the Resolution environmental report at least until there is a change in the ownership of this project to companies that are not reliant on China for more than half their business.' "

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/06

    #Fight4OurExistence #ProtectOakFlat #LandBack #sacredland #OakFlat
    #SaveOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #Apache #ReligiousLiberty #NativeAmericans #FirstNations #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews
    #ProtectTheSacred #ApacheStronghold #NativeAmericanNews #NativeAmericans #RioTinto #CopperMining #Arizona #LeaveItInTheGround #ChichilBildagoteel #WesternApaches #BecketLaw #ResolutionCopper #USPol #MiningTheSacred #NationalForests #CorporateLandGrabs #CorporateColonialism #CulturalGenocide #McCainShame

  17. Trump to approve land swap for Rio Tinto copper mine opposed by Native Americans

    By Ernest Scheyder
    April 18, 2025

    - Forest Service to republish environmental report within 60 days
    - Publication needed to approve land swap for Resolution project
    - Native groups oppose project on religious grounds
    - Related case still pending at Supreme Court

    "The #Trump administration said on Thursday it would approve a land swap needed for #RioTinto and #BHP to build one of the world's largest copper mines, despite concerns from Native Americans that it would destroy a site of religious value.
    The move is likely to escalate tensions between Indigenous groups vocal about the need to preserve historical lands and Western governments eager to boost critical minerals production and offset China's sector dominance.

    "The U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Agriculture Department, said it will republish within 60 days an environmental report needed for the #ResolutionCopper project land swap to occur.

    "Congress and then-President #BarackObama approved the mine in 2014 after it was added at the last minute to a must-pass military funding bill [#NDAA] with the condition that an environmental report be published.

    "The underground mine - which President Donald Trump approved in his first term before successor Joe Biden reversed him - would supply more than a quarter of U.S. appetite for copper and be a key part of Trump's plan to boost U.S. mining.

    "Copper is used in construction, transportation, electronics and many other industries. The United States imports roughly half of its copper needs each year.

    "Yet the mine's construction would cause a crater that would swallow the Oak Flat site where Arizona's San Carlos Apache worship. That has fueled strong opposition from all but one of the state's 22 Native American tribes, as well as the National Congress of American Indians.

    "Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit group comprised of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and conservationists, asked the U.S. Supreme Court last September to block the land swap. The court has not yet decided whether to take that case.
    Were the court to do so, however, the Forest Service said on Thursday it 'may reevaluate how to proceed' regarding the land swap.

    " 'The U.S. government is rushing to give away our spiritual home before the courts can even rule, just like it's rushed to erase Native people for generations,' said #WendslerNosie, an #ApacheStronghold leader."

    Read more:
    reuters.com/sustainability/boa

    #Apaches #WesternApaches #NativeAmericans #SacredSite #ResolutionCopper #SaveOakFlat #ChichilBiłdagoteel #CorporateColonialism #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #SCOTUS #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #CulturalGenocide #WesternApache #SacredSites #NoMiningWithoutConsent #RecycleCopper #TontoNationalForest

  18. #Apaches ask lower court to stop government’s imminent transfer of #SacredSite

    Becket Law, via #CensoredNews, April 25, 2025

    There will be a Hearing May 7, 2025 @ 0930 @ Sandra Day O’Connor
    U.S. Courthouse, 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85003

    WASHINGTON – "A coalition of #WesternApaches, other #NativePeoples, and non-Native #allies asked a federal court late yesterday to stop the U.S. government from handing over their sacred site at Oak Flat to a multinational mining giant as early as June 16, 2025.

    "In #ApacheStronghold v. United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals last year refused to stop the federal government from transferring #OakFlat to #ResolutionCopper, a Chinese-owned mining company that plans to turn the site into a massive mining crater, ending Apache religious practices forever (Watch the short video linked below to learn more).

    "The emergency appeal comes after the government announced last week it will forge ahead with the transfer even though the case is currently under consideration by the #USSupremeCourt."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/04

    Video link:
    youtube.com/watch?v=Zh68xOn0B_

    #SaveOakFlat #ChichilBiłdagoteel #CorporateColonialism #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #SCOTUS #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CulturalGenocide #NDAA #WesternApache #SacredSites #NoMiningWithoutConsent #RecycleCopper #TontoNationalForest

  19. Breaking News! (via @bsnorrell.blogspot.com )

    Feds Charge Ahead with Plan to Destroy #OakFlat

    #SupremeCourt poised to consider #ApacheStronghold’s appeal

    By Becket Law, Censored News, April 17, 2025

    WASHINGTON – "The U.S. government today announced that it is forging ahead with plans to transfer a #NativeAmerican #SacredSite to a multinational mining giant in as few as 60 days, despite a
    federal lawsuit challenging the action as illegal.

    "In Apache Stronghold v. United States, Apache Stronghold—a coalition of #Apaches, other Native peoples, and non-Native allies—sued to stop the federal government from transferring Oak Flat to
    Resolution Copper, a Chinese-owned mining company that plans to turn the site into a massive mining crater, ending Apache religious practices forever.

    "The government has announced it will now forge ahead with the transfer even though the case is currently under consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.

    "Since time immemorial, #WesternApaches and other Native peoples have gathered at Oak Flat, outside of present-day #SuperiorAZ, for sacred religious ceremonies that cannot take place anywhere else. Known in Apache as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, Oak Flat is listed in the #NationalRegisterOfHistoricPlaces and has been protected from #mining and other harmful practices for decades.
    These protections were targeted in December 2014 when a last-minute provision was slipped into a must-pass defense bill [#NDAA] authorizing the transfer of Oak Flat to the Resolution Copper company.

    "#ResolutionCopper now plans to turn the sacred site into a two-mile-wide and 1,100-foot-deep crater.

    "The majority owner of Resolution Copper, Rio Tinto, sparked international outrage when it deliberately destroyed 46,000-year-old Indigenous rock shelters at one of Australia’s most significant cultural sites.

    " 'The feds are barreling ahead to give Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, even as the Supreme Court considers whether to hear the case,' said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. 'This makes the stakes crystal clear: if the Court doesn’t act now, Oak Flat could be transferred and destroyed before justice can be served.' "

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/04

    #SaveOakFlat #ChichilBiłdagoteel #CorporateColonialism #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #SCOTUS #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CulturalGenocide #NoMiningWithoutConsent #RecycleCopper #TontoNationalForest

  20. #ApacheStronghold: U.S. Give-Away would Destroy Spiritual Home of #Apache

    By Wendsler Nosie, Apache Stronghold, March 13, 2025, via #CensoredNews

    "In the heart of #TontoNationalForest in #Arizona lies a place that my people, the #WesternApache, still hold above all others. This place is Chi'chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat. To us, it is more than a stretch of land; it is sacred and holy. It is where our ancestors walked, where we gather to pray, to carry out ceremonies passed down through generations, and to speak to our Creator.

    "This land is part of who we are as a people, and its spirit is bound to our own.
    Now, the federal government plans to give our sacred Oak Flat to a multinational #mining #corporation owned by the Chinese Communist Party. This will not just scar the land; it will destroy it, poisoning the environment and trampling on our tribal rights. But the deepest wound will be the loss of our spiritual home, a place our people cannot exist without. We are fighting this in the courts, all the way to the #USSupremeCourt. But this is about more than law and policy—this is about survival of our way of life and the spirit of this sacred land.

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/03
    #SaveOakFlat #ChichilBiłdagoteel #CorporateColonialism #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #SCOTUS #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CulturalGenocide #NoMiningWithoutConsent #RecycleCopper

  21. #OakFlat Update on #USSupremeCourt case!

    By #ApacheStronghold, December 16, 2024

    Supreme Court update

    "Thank you to all of our supporters who are continuing to pray about our #SupremeCourt petition to #ProtectOakFlat. As you may know, the Supreme Court considered our petition for the second time at its conference on December 13, 2024. Since we did not receive notice about it’s decision to take the case, the Court intends to consider it again at its next conference on January 10, 2025. Under that schedule, we could hear on January 10 or 13 whether the Court will take our case. Or the Court may take additional time for further consideration.

    "Either way, we take this as an encouraging sign that the Court is devoting extra time to our case and giving it careful examination. We ask all of our supporters to continue praying that the Justices will agree to hear our case and protect Oak Flat—just as the sacred places of other faiths have long been protected throughout the country.

    Thank you again for your support."

    Source:
    apache-stronghold.com/

    Direct link to PDF:
    users.neo.registeredsite.com/8
    #SaveOakFlat #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CorporateColonialism #PrayerRide #CulturalGenocide

  22. #OakFlat Update on #USSupremeCourt case!

    By #ApacheStronghold, via #CensoredNews, December 9, 2024

    "Thank you to all of our supporters who are continuing to pray about our Supreme Court petition to protect Oak Flat. As you may know, the Supreme Court considered our petition for the first time at its conference on December 6, 2024.

    "However, we received word today that the Court intends to consider it again at the Court’s next conference on December 13, 2024. Under that schedule, we could hear on December 13 or 16 whether the Court will take our case. Or the Court may take additional time for further consideration.

    "Either way, we take this as an encouraging sign that the Court is devoting extra time to our case and giving it careful examination. We ask all of our supporters to continue praying that the Justices will agree to hear our case and protect Oak Flat—just as the sacred places of other faiths have long been protected throughout the country. Thank you again for your support."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/12

    Donate:
    gofundme.com/f/stand-with-apac

    More info:
    apache-stronghold.com

    #SaveOakFlat #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CorporateColonialism #PrayerRide #CulturalGenocide

  23. #OakFlat Update on #USSupremeCourt case!

    by #ApacheStronghold, via #CensoredNews, December 6, 2024

    "Thank you to all of our supporters who are continuing to pray about Supreme Court petition to protect Oak Flat. Our case was not mentioned in today's Supreme Court orders list. However, we may get a decision by the Court to take our case by Monday 7:30 a.m. Central time. We will update you again on Monday morning.

    We will take this an encouraging sign that the Court is devoting extra time to our case and giving it careful examination. We ask all of our supporters to continue praying the the Justices will agree to hear our case the protect Oak Flat -- just as the sacred places of other faiths have lon been protected through the country. Thank you again for your support."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/12

    #SaveOakFlat #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews
    #DefendTheSacred #CopperMine
    #WaterIsLife #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CorporateColonialism
    #PrayerRide #CulturalGenocide

  24. U.S. Supreme Court to Consider #ApacheStronghold's Case to #SaveOakFlat in December

    By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 22, 2024

    WASHINGTON -- "The U.S. Supreme Court will likely consider Apache Stronghold's case on December 6, Apache Stronghold said today. The U.S. government plans to turn Apaches ceremonial place Oak Flat over to an international mining giant to destroy it with a massive copper mine that would poison the land and water.
    Apache Stronghold said if the Supreme Court considers the case on December 6, they could hear on December 9 whether the high court will take the case, or it could take more time to consider it.

    "'Either way, we take this as an encouraging sign that the Court is devoting extra time to our case and
    giving it careful examination. We ask all of our supporters to continue praying that the justices will agree to hear our case and protect Oak Flat -- just as the sacred places of other faiths have long
    been protected throughout the country,' Apache Stronghold said today.

    "The Supreme Court had scheduled to consider the case for review on November 22, but rescheduled the case for December 6.

    "Apache Stronghold's Wendsler Nosie, Sr. pointed out that a writ of certiorari would order the lower court to forward all documents on the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court is selective and only hears cases when at least four of the justices believe the case raises a significant federal question that is in the public interest."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11

    #ReaderSupportedNews #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #SCOTUS #CopperMine #WaterIsLife #OakFlat #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto #RecycleCopper #CorporateColonialism #PrayerRide #CulturalGenocide

  25. #ApacheStronghold Asks #SupremeCourt to #SaveOakFlat

    By Becket Law, via #CensoredNews
    Sept. 11, 2024

    WASHINGTON – "A coalition of #WesternApaches, other #Native peoples, and non-Native #allies asked the #SupremeCourt today to protect their sacred site at #OakFlat from destruction by a multinational mining giant. In Apache Stronghold v. United States, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stop the federal government from transferring Oak Flat to #ResolutionCopper, a foreign-owned mining company that plans to turn the site into a massive mining crater, ending #Apache religious practices forever (Watch video linked below to learn more).

    "The Apaches and their allies hosted a day of prayer outside the Court as they asked the Justices to save the spiritual lifeblood of their people.
    Since time immemorial, 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. Known 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. These protections were targeted in December 2014 when a last-minute provision was inserted into a must- pass defense bill authorizing the transfer of Oak Flat to the Resolution Copper company. Resolution Copper is a foreign-owned mining company that plans to turn the sacred site into a two-mile-wide and 1,100-foot-deep crater. The majority owner of Resolution Copper, #RioTinto, sparked international outrage when it deliberately destroyed 46,000-year-old #Indigenous rock shelters at one of #Australia’s most significant cultural sites.

    “'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,' said Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold. '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.”
    Apache Stronghold—a coalition of Apaches, other Native peoples, and non-Native allies—filed this lawsuit in January 2021 seeking to halt the proposed mine at Oak Flat. The mine is opposed by 21 of 22 federally recognized tribal nations in Arizona and by the National Congress of American Indians. Meanwhile, national polling indicates that 74% of Americans support protecting Oak Flat. The Ninth Circuit ruled earlier this year that the land transfer is not subject to federal laws protecting religious freedom. But five judges dissented, writing that the court 'tragically err[ed]' by refusing to protect Oak Flat. After unsuccessfully asking all 29 judges on the Ninth Circuit to rehear the case, Apache Stronghold has filed their appeal to the Supreme Court.

    "'Blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into oblivion would be an egregious violation of our nation’s promise of religious freedom for people of all faiths,' said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. 'The Court should uphold its strong record of defending #ReligiousFreedom by ensuring that the Apaches can continue worshiping at Oak Flat as they have for centuries.'

    "In addition to Becket, Apache Stronghold is represented by Erin Murphy of Clement & Murphy PLLC, Professor Stephanie Barclay of Georgetown Law School, and attorneys Michael V. Nixon and Clifford Levenson.
    For more information or to arrange an interview, contact Ryan Colby at [email protected] or 202-349-7219."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09

    Legal document:
    becketlaw.org/media/breaking-a

    Video:
    youtube.com/watch?v=Zh68xOn0B_

    #SCOTUS #CopperMine
    #ProtectOakFlat
    #ProtectTheSacred
    #DefendTheSacred
    #IndigenousActivism
    #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife
    #SacredSite
    #CopperMining
    #RecycleCopper
    #NoMiningWithoutConsent
    #CulturalGenocide
    #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #CorporateColonialism
    #WashingtonDC
    #PrayerRide
    #PeacefulProtest
    #FightForReligiousRights
    #ChichilBildagoteel

  26. #ApacheStronghold #PrayerJourney to the #SupremeCourt to Stop the Shattering of Human Existence & to Protect #MotherEarth

    "From the beginning, each stop we’ve made to hear and be the people across this country. We know prayers have only gotten stronger as we’ve continued our journey that is why when we got into Washington D.C. and were welcomed at the Festival Center in DC with prayers and blessings led by the children was just what the Apache Stronghold needed to fill our hearts with the hope and the energy, we need for the final leg of our journey of prayer to deliver our case to the Supreme Court."

    Sept. 11, 2024
    Apache Stronghold via #CensoredNews

    "On July 11th, 2024, the Apache Stronghold started the journey of prayer to the Supreme Court to stop the shattering of human existence and to protect Mother Earth. We have traveled, held ceremonies, and gathered prayers from Tribes, Communities, Churches, and people in support of saving Oak Flat and religious freedom for the protection of all.

    "We began in the Northwest, West Coast, South, mid-west to the East. The Apache Stronghold has now made it to Washington DC where the people of this country from all backgrounds and religions will gather at the Supreme Court on September 11 for the case filing."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09

    #SCOTUS #CopperMine
    #ProtectOakFlat
    #ProtectTheSacred
    #DefendTheSacred
    #IndigenousActivism
    #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife
    #SacredSite
    #CopperMining
    #RecycleCopper
    #NoMiningWithoutConsent
    #CulturalGenocide
    #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #CorporateColonialism
    #WashingtonDC
    #PrayerRide
    #PeacefulProtest
    #FightForReligiousRights
    #ChichilBildagoteel

  27. Want to help support #ApacheStronghold's #PrayerJourney to the #SupremeCourt? Donate to their #GoFundMe #fundraiser!

    Support #ApacheStronghold Prayer Journey to Supreme Court

    "Apache Stronghold, San Carlos, Arizona, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community organization of individuals who come together in unity to battle continued colonization, defend Holy sites and freedom of religion. We are currently in a battle to #SaveOakFlat from destruction by #ResolutionCopper (#BHP & #RioTinto). Chi’chil Biłdagoteel (also known as Oak Flat) is a sacred site for our Apache people and many other #NativeAmericans. This is a place that has special significance— a place where we pray, collect water and medicinal plants for ceremonies, gather acorns and other foods, and honor those that are buried here.

    "We received the response from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Our request to be heard by the full 29-judge panel was denied, none of the judges requesting a vote for rehearing. The Court amended its decision to discuss a previous Supreme Court decision that hadn’t been considered, and the 9th Circuit’s decision on the case remained closely divided, 6 to 5, with five dissenting judges and over 240 pages of opinions. We have now completed the 9th Circuit appeal, and the next step is petitioning to be heard by the Supreme Court. I want to thank everyone for your endless support and prayers. I know capitalism had began as far back as when trade began. For over 500 hundred years, we #IndigenousPeople of America, have suffered equally to the rest of the world. What had started in the beginning between good and evil will again face each other. One, to protect the greatest gift god gave the world or the other.,to destroy every human life and the spirit that #MotherEarth gives birth to. The question is, where will you stand in this moment? We will all be judged. Blessings to all.

    SUPPORTING APACHE STRONGHOLD AT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

    "Apache Stronghold is grateful for the outpouring of support for our efforts to protect Oak Flat. As our case heads to the Supreme Court, one way to support Apache Stronghold is for interested organizations to file an amicus brief (also called a friend-of-the-court brief) at the Supreme Court.

    "The Prayer Journey to Supreme Court [began] July 12 beginning in Seattle, then to #ThackerPass, California, West coast, Arizona, New Mexico, .........and onwards toward Washington DC. This prayer journey will a couple months and visits many supporting organizations, Tribes, churches, religious sites and people for prayers as we cross this Country. The Supreme Court filing is set for September 11, 2024. Apache Stronghold vs United States."

    Donate:
    gofundme.com/f/stand-with-apac

    More info:
    apache-stronghold.com

    #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #SanCarlosApache #ChichilBildagoteel #CopperMine #ProtectOakFlat
    #ProtectTheSacred #DefendTheSacred
    #IndigenousActivism
    #SaveOakFlat #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining
    #RecycleCopper #NoMiningWithoutConsent
    #CulturalGenocide
    #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #CorporateColonialism
    #WashingtonDC
    #PrayerRide #PeacefulProtest
    #FightForReligiousRights

  28. #ApacheStronghold website, where you can find out about events, news, petitions, actions, and support them by donating or buying merch (T-shirts, yard signs, posters, buttons and stickers)!

    TAKE ACTION NOW!
    Chi'chil Biłdagoteel (#OakFlat) is a sacred site in the Tonto National Forest for the #SanCarlosApache and other Native American Tribes in the region—a place to pray, collect water and medicinal plants, gather acorns, honor the people who are buried there, and perform sacred religious ceremonies. Oak Flat is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property and protected from mining since 1955 by President Eisenhower.

    "#Resolution’s underground mine would cause Oak Flat to collapse into a mile-wide, 1,000-foot-deep crater. In 2014, the US government promised the land to foreign copper mining interests to build a copper mine. The #ResolutionCopper Project would create one of the largest copper mines in the US destroying this sacred site.

    SUPPORTING APACHE STRONGHOLD AT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

    Apache Stronghold is grateful for the outpouring of support for our efforts to protect Oak Flat.

    Support Apache Stronghold #PrayerJourney to the #SupremeCourt

    apache-stronghold.com/take-act

    #CopperMine #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SaveOakFlat #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining #RecycleCopper #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews #CorporateColonialism #WashingtonDC #PrayerRide #PeacefulProtest #FightForReligiousRights #ChichilBildagoteel

  29. #LisjanNation Welcome #ApacheStronghold, on the #PrayerJourney to the #SupremeCourt

    By Báásé Pike, Photos by Molly Peters, #CensoredNews, August 12, 2024

    CONFEDERATED VILLAGES of LISJAN NATION -- "On August 8th, the Apache Stronghold gathered with the Confederated Villages of #Lisjan Nation for prayers. We were welcomed with open arms to the sacred site of the Lisjan people. Corrina Gould, the leader of the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation spoke about the history of the site.

    "'It was heartbreaking to learn their #SacredSite was one of the oldest village and ancestral burial sites that was taken over for #CorporateGreed. After many years the people took their sacred land back through a legal battle and purchasing.

    "'Throughout this journey, we are reminded of the system that only cares for #colonists’ profits first. Their land was taken forcefully and then made them, the #IndigenousPeople people buy the land that was once their home. This is what the fight is about.

    “'As #IndigenousPeople, we know through our history and culture that there is a spiritual connection to the land but this is what the United States wants us to prove in court. However, this case scares the U.S. because they’ll have to answer the question about spirituality. This case makes the United States confront the wrongdoing of the Indigenous people and all people.'

    "So, we ask you to please keep us in your prayers as we continue our prayer journey to the #SupremeCourt to stop the shattering of the human existence and to protect #MotherEarth."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    #RioTinto #BHP #CopperMine #CopperMining #NDAA #CulturalGenocide #Genocide #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #ReaderSupportedNews

  30. #ApacheStronghold at Peehee Mu'huh Locked Gates for People of Prayer

    On the Journey to the Supreme Court

    By Apache Stronghold, #CensoredNews
    August 8, 2024

    "Apache Stronghold visited Peehee Mu’huh (#ThackerPass), the second stop on the Prayer Journey to the Supreme Court [#SCOTUS] to Stop the Shattering of Human Existence and Protect #MotherEarth.

    "We visited with the People of #RedMountain, who are fighting a #LithiumMine that is destroying their #SacredSite. When we arrived at the entrance to Peehee Mu’huh, we found a chain link wall with a locked gate, blocking everyone except those authorized by the mine.

    "Security trucks came to go through the gate, and one of the drivers admitted that they knew the Apache Stronghold would be there with the People of Red Mountain.

    "One truck drove off toward the mine, while the other driver re-locked the gate and left, emphasizing that the mining company has access to Peehee Mu’huh, but the Indigenous people who were stewards of the land since time immemorial, and all others who would go there to pray, are locked out.

    "Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. said, 'It’s a sad reminder that people don’t know the day could come, if #OakFlat is ever transferred to #ResolutionCopper, that the acorns, #MedicinePlants, and water could be locked away behind a gate facing death at the hands of a corporation.

    "'People need to come together to stop this desecration happening at Peehee Mu’huh and prevent it from happening everywhere else, before it’s too late.'

    "Costanoan Rumsen #CarmelTribe said, 'We are honored to welcome and pray along side the Apache Stronghold and Protect Oak Flat on their Prayer Journey. Please join us in prayer this Saturday from 7 am-12 noon.' Chief Ya'anna Learning Village and Tuatukar Eco-Cultural Center for Indigenous Regeneration, 4500 Via Marisol, #Los AngelesCalifornia 90042.

    "For those who can’t join us in person, please pray for us as we travel to the Supreme Court, and follow along on the journey here.

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    #PeeHeeMuhuh #NoCopperMiningWithoutConsent #IndigenousPeoples #IndigenousNews #RioTinto CopperMine #BHP #Apache #NDAA #BigMountain #CulturalGenocide #Genocide #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto #CopperMine #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SaveOakFlat #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #PeacefulProtest

  31. Brought to you by #RioTinto and #McCainShame!

    The #ApacheStronghold standing in the way of a massive #CopperMine

    ‘If they want to remove me, they’re going to have to remove me, forcefully.’

    by Brandi Morin May 17, 2024

    "Apache Stronghold has been waging their fight against these giants [#RioTinto and #BHP] in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In late April, the court rejected an appeal of a lower court’s ruling from 2021 that found the mine wouldn’t threaten the First Amendment religious practice rights of the #Apache. Now, the group is taking their case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

    "Chi’chil Bildagoteel was once protected. In 1955, President Dwight D. Eisenhower listed the area on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property. That designation stood until 2014, when former U.S. Senator #JohnMcCain slipped a rider onto a must-pass National Defense Authorization Act to allow the sale of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper."

    Read more:
    therealnews.com/brandi-morin-t

    #NDAA #BigMountain #CulturalGenocide #Genocide #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto #CopperMine #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism

  32. [Film] The #ApacheStronghold defending #sacred #OakFlat land from a #CopperMine

    The Real News Network
    May 21, 2024

    "In the heart of the #Arizona high desert lies a battle for the soul of the land. The ancient, sacred grounds of #Apache #Native territory are under threat from a looming giant — a massive copper mine that promises riches for the locals, and a pathway to the so-called green transition. But, as is often the case, it comes at a cost.

    "The #SanCarlosApache tribe calls it Chi’chil Bildagoteel; English speakers call it Oak Flat. It sits on a mountainous plateau within a 17.3-kilometer oasis in the #TontoNationalForest. #RioTinto and #BHP, two of the world’s biggest mining companies, have staked their claim here through a joint venture called #ResolutionCopper. For over 10 years they’ve been lobbying governments for the right to build a colossal mine that would cover roughly 7,000 acres of surface area, and extend more than a mile into the ground.

    "The only thing that stands in their way is the #resistance of the Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit community organization of #Natives and non-Natives uniting to counter ongoing #colonization, defend holy sites and protect freedom of religion, which was created to protect Chi’chil Bildagoteel.

    "A short film by #BrandiMorin and #GeordieDay for #RicochetMedia. Support for this journalism provided by #CulturalSurvival."

    youtube.com/watch?v=vCIGlv0xu_

    #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto #CopperMine #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #CopperMining #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism

  33. #ApacheStronghold Continues Journey of Prayer to the #SupremeCourt to Stop the Shattering of Human Existence and to Protect #MotherEarth

    Apache Stronghold to #ThackerPass

    Apache Stronghold, #CensoredNews, August 4, 2024

    Contact: [email protected]

    "Today, August 4, 2024, the Apache Stronghold will be continuing our prayer journey to stop the shattering of human existence and to protect Mother Earth. The prayer journey began in the #LummiNation, north of Seattle, in July, and it will conclude on September 11, 2024 when the Apache Stronghold files their appeal at the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, with stops along the way visiting tribes and supporters for prayer and ceremony. The full route is outlined [at the link below].

    "We will be traveling to Thacker Pass, Nevada for a #PrayerGathering on August 6th. This will be our second stop of the journey. After Thacker Pass, we will be traveling to the #BayAreaCalifornia on August 8th for another prayer gathering. Please pay close attention to your emails as we will be updating along the way, as well as our social media @protectoakflat to follow along the journey with us.

    "It is a very crucial time right now, so we ask if you cannot join us along the journey please continue to pray for our journey as we make our way across the U.S to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. We are in this fight together, as we are one drum, one circle, one prayer."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    #RioTinto #CopperMine #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #protectthesacred #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite
    #CopperMining
    #RecycleCopper
    #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred
    #CulturalGenocide
    #ChichilBiłdagoteel
    #Ecocide #SaveOakFlat #ReaderSupportedNews
    #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing
    #NoMiningWithoutConsent #ResolutionCopper #CorporateColonialism

  34. Diverse coalition urges 29-judge appeals
    court to #ProtectOakFlat

    #TribalNations, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Sikhs among broad coalition seeking to protect historic #NativeAmerican #SacredSite

    By Becket Law, #ApacheStronghold, #CensoredNews
    April 26, 2024

    "Meanwhile, national polling indicates 74% of Americans support protecting #OakFlat. The Ninth Circuit ruled last month that the land transfer is not subject to federal laws protecting religious freedom. But five judges dissented, writing that the court 'tragically err[ed]' by refusing to protect Oak Flat.

    "Including the 8 briefs filed yesterday, there have now been a total of 23 friend-of-the-court briefs filed in support of Apache Stronghold in this case, representing the voices of hundreds of federally recognized tribes, scores of religious organizations of diverse faiths, and leading scholars of Indian law and the Constitution. A full listing of briefs is available here. Highlights from yesterday’s filings in Apache Stronghold v. United States include:

    · Tribal Nations and Tribal Organizations arguing that this case will set vital precedent for tribal nations across the continent.

    · The Mennonite Church USA and 20 Mennonite conferences, churches and ministries explaining how the government can manage federal lands while still providing full protection to Native American religious practices;

    · Religious liberty law scholars arguing that the plain language of federal civil rights law requires protection of Oak Flat;

    · A diverse array of 38 religious and indigenous groups—including the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, the Southwestern Conference of the United Church of Christ, and the National Council of Jewish Women demonstrating broad support for Native American religious exercise from across the country;

    · The Sikh Coalition, the Christian Legal Society and the Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team of the Religious Freedom Institute noting that the legal standard for judging Native religious liberty claims should be consistent with that for other land-use and prisoner claims;

    · Protect the First asking the court of appeals to reconsider its narrow, inflexible approach toward Native American sacred site cases.

    · The Native American Law Students Association pointing out the unique effect this case will have on Native American religious believers under the current interpretation of the law.

    · The Multi-Indigenous Community Action Group, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, and a Tribal Elder explaining that the court’s decision creates an unfair double standard for Native American religious exercise.

    "'It is heartening to see a broad coalition of tribes, religious groups, and scholars stand up in defense of Oak Flat,' said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. 'Our nation has a history of destroying Native sacred sites without consequence, and it’s long past time for that dark tradition to end.'"

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/04

    #ResolutionCopper #SaveOakFlat #RioTinto
    #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #CorporateColonialism #CopperMining #Mining #LandBack #WaterIsLife
    #IndigenousLands #SacredSpaces #ReligiousFreedom #IndigenousRights

  35. I just came across this from the #NationalTrustForHistoricPreservation website...

    Updates on #OakFlat

    December 22, 2025

    "On December 3, Representative Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced the #SaveOakFlat from Foreign Mining Act (H.R. 6391). The legislation would repeal Section 3003 of the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act [#NDAA] in order to protect a site of significant #religious, #cultural, #historical, and #environmental importance to #TribalNations in #Arizona and across the nation.

    "The #SacredSite is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property—and for over 15 years—the National Trust has opposed the #mining project and supported preservation of the sacred site in many ways, including listing Oak Flat on our 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2015, engaging in legal advocacy, and endorsing multiple legislative remedies.

    "Pending federal litigation regarding Oak Flat is scheduled to be argued before the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, and oral arguments can be viewed via the livestream beginning at 11:30 AM EST/9:30 AM MST."

    Source:
    savingplaces.org/public-lands/

    #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache
    #ResolutionCopper #Arizona
    #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CooperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #CorporateColonialism

  36. Walking #BeyondCapitalism, #WendslerNosie Journeys to Federal Court in Phoenix

    via #CensoredNews, January 3, 2026

    Statement by Wendsler Nosie:

    "Good afternoon to all my family, friends, relatives, and people. I come to you in this moment in time, knowing we all have been born into from our parents and those before. We all know those before us, suffered from a great #evil, who tried to destroy them. This evil still exists today.

    Every day it works to control us and make its way to have us deceive our own children's lives, by them not being told the truth. We teach them to live and embrace a system of #capitalism that we surely know won't secure the future.

    Through every passing generation, it clearly shows it has failed. From the birth of Europe to their unauthorized arrival here and the taking of the East Coast, wrongfully establishing their 13 colonies, they then turned toward the west, breaking all treaties that were dishonest from their inception, establishing a dishonest trust system allowing them to take more and more.

    Their human ideology, their way to survive through their economic engine, has been a disaster. It takes and it takes and gives nothing back. No care for any kind of life, no care for the next generation. It's about living for now and being #greedy and destroying communities of people with their power of capitalism.

    Since the beginning, through #colonization and capitalism, many here and around the world have suffered. People cried then and still today for a better day and still ask God, what have I done?

    The political agenda of capitalism is to put fear in each of us. Pushing each of us towards the illusion that #MotherEarth and ourselves are useless. From fear we lose hope, the journey of spirituality and everything on mother earth, becomes disposable. Our mother earth is the timeline to everything. It gives us the water of life, it gives us the oxygen of life, it gives us the food of life, and it blesses us with life for our children and those yet to come.

    It saddens me when this country does not prioritize all the sacred elements that give us life. It saddens me to witness that some no longer care to keep God's greatest gift alive. From a spiritual understanding, our love for one another is critical, our morals to make right decisions is critical and the love for our mother earth should be embedded forever.

    We have all been taught not to recognize our mother and forced into a life to be colonized. We were blessed, in the beginning, with the tools of how to survive in the world that provides for us all.

    This evil took those tools away and taught us how to be selfish, greedy, impassive and assimilate our minds and hearts to believe in capitalism. For what I have witnessed, I now can say, I see as what my father, my grandfather and great grandfather witnessed before me.

    Capitalism demands your loyalty, to destroy every moral ethic, spiritual belief and God's way of life. I too know who cares and protects what God and Jesus had warned the world about. I will not be one who is loyal to capitalism, you will not fool me. If we really think it through, from those who say that capitalism will solve our problems, and when we actually understand it, disaster will occur, i.e. billions of gallons of water can remain forever, no contamination to the environment, no climate changes, one of the oldest religious ceremonies before the beginning of time continues, etc.

    The United States of America clearly violated procedures and laws and ignored not only the #NativeAmericans, but also the state of #Arizona and the people of this country. Their decision to give full exemptions from the law has opened the door forever for #corporations to follow suit.

    America, our civilization is in trouble and it needs your attention. As you and I today, as did our ancestors had encountered centuries ago, we are also in that moment. We cannot lose our mother earth, if she is lost, there is no life.

    The sustainability of the Mother Earth ensures our children’s children will live . So, preserving mother earth today, will guarantee future generations.

    I will be departing from #OakFlat on Sunday, January 4th at 11 AM. I will be walking and a little jogging to arrive in downtown Phoenix to attend the court hearings (#AZReform Mining Coalition, ITCA, San Carlos Apache Tribe and Lopez/Kinsey (Burdette) cases vs. U.S., which begin at 10 a.m. on January 7, 2026.

    For those who do know me well, I had a spiritual encounter and must travel in this spiritual way. I ask each of you, if possible, to make a ceremonial fire, light a candle, or be in prayer.

    The decision of the federal judges will weigh heavy on the future for water, environment, religion, and the ability to give federal exemptions to corporations without following legal policies.

    #Usen (Creator), hear my prayers, as I make this journey to encounter many ugly obstacles but also witness the beauty of all life. I will let No Fear distract me, for all the beautiful spirits will be in all four directions."

    Wendsler Nosie Sr.

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/01

    #SaveOakFlat #WaterIsLife #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #NativeAmericanActivism #CorporateColonialism #CapitalismMustDie #ApacheStronghold #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper
    #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel
    #RioTinto #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand
    #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred

  37. #ApacheStronghold at #MartinLutherKingJr's #MontgomeryAlabama Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

    "We ask you to please keep us in your prayers as we move East to continue our prayer journey to the #SupremeCourt to stop the shattering of the human existence and to protect #MotherEarth. It’s time to wake up the people of this country to stop the desecration of all our spiritual connection to Mother Earth and #Usen (God)."

    By Apache Stronghold, #CensoredNews, September 1, 2024

    MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- "The Apache Stronghold made a stop on their Journey of Prayer to the Supreme Court in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, the birthplace of the civil rights movement and home of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. first served as a full-time pastor.

    "This church and Dr. King played a central role in uniting the local community in the struggle against what King called the evils of #materialism, #militarism, and #racism.

    "The Stronghold was reminded that in 2013, Dr. #WendslerNosieSr., in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, received the Presidential Award from the National Progressive Baptist Convention, becoming the first #NativeAmerican to receive the award.

    "Dr. Nosie remembered how humbling it was that people in the East thought of him in the West and that these struggles for civil and human rights are connected to what this whole journey to the supreme court is all about.

    "The struggle for freedom continues as Dr. Nosie reflected, 'It’s time to use all our combined voices for civil and human rights to fight for Mother Earth, the greatest gift God has given us.' So far on this journey we are happy to see that the churches are bringing in the importance of protecting Mother Earth. We have to make the air, the water, the earth a priority because we will only be able to stop the shattering of human existence by protecting God’s greatest gift, our Mother Earth."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/09

    #WaterIsLife #AirIsLife #EarthIsLife #SCOTUS
    #SaveOakFlat #SanCarlosApache
    #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat
    #DefendTheSacred
    #IndigenousActivism
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSites #RecycleCopper
    #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #NoMiningWithoutConsent
    #CorporateColonialism
    #ChichilBiłdagoteel #RespectTheTreaties #HumanRights

  38. #ApacheStronghold #PrayerJourney to #SupremeCourt: Oak Flat Mirrors National Struggle for Sacred

    By Apache Stronghold, #CensoredNews, August 30, 2024

    "On July 11th, 2024, the Apache Stronghold started the journey of prayer to the Supreme Court to stop the shattering of human existence and to protect #MotherEarth. We have traveled, held ceremonies and gathered prayers from Tribes, Communities, Churches, and people in support of saving Oak Flat and religious freedom and protections for all. We began in the Northwest, West Coast, South, Mid- west to the East to gather in Washington DC at the Supreme Court on September 11.

    "We are appealing a lower court ruling that would have allowed the total destruction of Oak Flat by allowing the land to be transferred to #ResolutionCopper, a foreign owned company, owned by #BHP and #RioTinto.
    We will appeal Apache Stronghold v. United States to the U.S. Supreme Court on September 11. The case involves the federal government’s planned destruction of Oak Flat—known in Apache as Chi'chil Biłdagoteel —a sacred site where Western Apaches and other Native peoples have worshipped since time immemorial. Oak Flat is the birthplace of our religion and the site of sacred ceremonies that cannot take place anywhere else.

    "The United States is now planning to transfer ownership of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a foreign- owned mining company that plans to destroy it. Resolution’s mine will swallow Oak Flat in a two-mile- wide, 1,100-foot-deep crater, ending Apache religious practices forever.

    "Our lawsuit challenges the destruction of Oak Flat as a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (#RFRA), #TheUSConstitution, and the #1852Treaty with the #WesternApaches. In March, the sharply divided Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, by a 6-5 vote, ruled that the obliteration of Oak Flat does not amount to a 'substantial burden' on our religious exercise and that the Constitution and federal civil rights laws do not apply to the government’s disposition of 'its own land.'

    "In September, we will ask the Supreme Court to correct this ruling and hold that federal law protects Oak Flat. The stakes could not be any higher. If the Ninth Circuit’s ruling is allowed to stand, the United States will be allowed to destroy Oak
    Flat and any other sacred site with impunity. If the Supreme Court rules in our favor, it will ensure that #NativeAmericans receive the same protection for our religious freedom that all other religious groups across the country already enjoy. A decision in the case is expected in 2025.

    "Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. explained, 'what saddens me, what I have witnessed going through #reservations, towns, sitting with and discussing with many people across this country, is seeing that when it comes to the #environment, it’s not being protected. When we talked about water or land, it not only affects Oak Flats but many places have been affected by Acts of Congress, the cities are no different. The United States does not protect the environment by bypassing the laws that they enacted, I have seen devastation across this country, the government pursuing unproven endeavors overlooking it’s peoples essential liberties. We need to come together on this court case, our spirituality and the survival of the earth are at stake, the suffering of the people is what we are bringing to the Supreme court.
    This is an invitation to participate in the Apache Stronghold’s #DayOfPrayer on September 11, 2024, at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    FMI:
    apache-stronghold.com/

    #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #WaterIsLife #SacredSites #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews #IndigenousActivism #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #ChichilBiłdagoteel #RespectTheTreaties

  39. Mennonites join #ApacheStronghold on #PrayerJourney to Supreme Court

    Anabaptist World
    September 6, 2024

    "#Mennonite congregations and individuals from the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery are supporting Apache Stronghold’s two-month prayer journey across the United States to deliver their appeal directly to the #USSupremeCourt.

    "The #SanCarlosApache and their allies argue that a land swap tucked into a defense spending bill that gave away their sacred location of Oak Flat to create a copper mine violates their religious freedom. The journey culminates Sept. 11 in #WashingtonDC.

    "The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Apache Stronghold earlier this year in a 6-5 ruling. The group is represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which will petition the high court to hear the case.

    "'Obliterating the birthplace of #WesternApache religion would be a tragic betrayal of our nation’s promise of #Religious Freedom for all,' said Luke Goodrich, Becket vice president and senior counsel. 'We will ask the Supreme Court to take this case, #ProtectOakFlat and ensure that #IndigenousPeoples receive the same protection for religious freedom that all other faith groups enjoy.'

    "Mennonites congregations involved in supporting the journey through prayer and hospitality included First Mennonite Church of San Francisco, Pasadena Mennonite Church in California, Shalom Mennonite Fellowship in Tucson, Ariz., Albuquerque Mennonite Church in New Mexico, Joy Mennonite Church in Oklahoma City, Raleigh Mennonite Church in North Carolina and Hyattsville Mennonite in Maryland. Acts of solidarity with the Apache ranged from preparing food to offering space to sleep to arranging public gatherings of prayer.

    "'I asked myself: what does it mean to Dismantle the #DoctrineOfDiscovery? I have learned that the Apache Stronghold is not just fighting for Oak Flat, but for #MotherEarth, the greatest gift we have received. They are fighting for all of us,' said Frances Loberg, a member of Salem Mennonite Church in Oregon and the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery. She has been on the prayer journey for its full course. 'I am being healed as I have seen how Mother Earth is alive. We have seen the pain and struggles all across the country. This fight for mother earth is for all of us.'"

    Read more:
    anabaptistworld.org/mennonites

  40. 12th Annual Sacred Chi'chil BIł’dagoteel #OakFlat Run

    February 5-8 pm, 2026

    Schedule:

    Thursday, Feb 5th - 4 pm Holy Ground Blessing and Dinner at Old San Carlos Monument. Run will follow after blessing

    Friday, Feb 6th- 8 am March/Run will begin at the New Skate Park (Sport Complex) and will end in Miami, Arizona, at the Shrine

    Saturday, Feb 7th - 8 am Run will begin at the Shrine in Miami, Arizona, to Oak Flat

    Sunday, Feb 8th - 9 am Holy Ground Blessing at Oak Flat and then departure

    FMI (Apache Stronghold website):
    apache-stronghold.com/oak-flat

    FB page:
    facebook.com/SaveOakFlatArizona

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2026/02

    #ApacheStronghold #ProtectOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto
    #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining
    #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #CorporateColonialism #DefendTheSacred #OakFlatRun #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews

  41. SAVE THE DATES!

    #ProtectOakFlat: 11th Annual Sacred #OakFlat Marathon, Feb. 5 - 8, 2026

    An ever-growing story, the Annual March to Save Oak Flat each February.

    "We will once again walk off the reservation, freeing ourselves from the bondage of federal policies and the inaccuracies of the history of this country. We will no longer be invisible, for God the Creator, who is known throughout the world, has spoken, once again, through all his creations, that healing must begin to save what is left, so that those yet to be born will embrace the true spirit of life." - Wendsler Nosie Sr.

    Posted on December 29, 2025, via #CensoredNews:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/12

    Web page for the Oak Flat Run (via #ApacheStronghold):
    apache-stronghold.com/oak-flat

    #SanCarlosApache #ResolutionCopper #Arizona #ChichilBildagoteel #RioTinto #SaveOakFlat #CopperMining #Fight4OurExistance #SacredLand #TontoNationalForest #WesternApaches #ProtectTheSacred #CorporateColonialism

  42. Not surprising...😠

    #ApacheStronghold -- Supreme Court Again Declines to Protect Sacred #OakFlat

    By Apache Stronghold, via @bsnorrell.blogspot.com, Oct. 6, 2025

    Apache Stronghold - Supreme Court update

    "This morning, we received word the Supreme Court has decided not to reconsider our case. While this decision is deeply disappointing, the fight to protect Oak Flat is far from over.
    We will continue pressing our case in the lower courts. In addition to our case, three other cases are also seeking to protect Oak Flat, and the Ninth Circuit will hear oral argument in those cases on
    January 7, 2026. We’ll also keep urging Congress, the President, and federal agencies to stop the destruction of Oak Flat and protect our ancestral sacred land.

    Oak Flat deserves the same respect and protection this country has long given to other places of worship.

    Wendsler Nosie Sr. responding to the Supreme Court result, 'First, thank you everyone for all the hard work. You have been a blessing to us all in our country. Most importantly deep within us we
    knew, but now we definitely witness the truth of this country, by the Supreme Court taking no action. What is evil created the unfairness, not just to us human beings but to all of God’s creations. When this country was founded, humans with the heart of #greed worked to mute the voice of the Creator. By this undertaking, we now live with a third entity, who was created to take and destroy every blessed
    gift God gave us through our #MotherEarth. We know this evil as #Corporations, which comes from
    #capitalism which #colonizes people. We must defend what is spiritual, holy and God’s greatest gift to us all, our Mother. Today is a new day for me as I now take the blessings from Usen (God), to walk
    the footsteps of the purpose I was blessed with and no longer be a captive.'

    America has shown us the government’s true intentions, we are unheard and ignored once again. Our judicial system’s voice is muted by capitalism, the ultimate destruction of Mother Earth has been given permission as if they control her, she supplies our lives not the reverse. Such a sad reality.

    We call on all people to pray, to raise their voices, and to join us in defending Mother Earth. Thank you for standing with us."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/10

    #SanCarlosApache #ChichilBildagoteel #WesternApaches #Fight4OurExistence #SacredLand #ReligiousLiberty #CensoredNews #Apache #ProtectOakFlat
    #CopperMining #CorporateColonialism #SaveOakFlat #ProtectTheSacred #SCOTUS #SCOTUSIsCompromised #TontoNationalForest #ResolutionCopper #RioTinto

  43. We live in a f*cked up world when #Republican #SCOTUS members are the only ones who do the right thing. WTF!

    BREAKING! Supreme Court Refuses Plea to #ProtectOakFlat

    #ApacheStronghold said it will continue the fight in the courts

    #WendslerNosieSr. said, "While this decision is a heavy blow, our struggle is far from over. We urge Congress to take decisive action to stop this injustice while we press forward in the courts."

    By Becket Law, Censored News, May 27, 2025

    WASHINGTON – "The Supreme Court today refused to protect a Western Apache sacred site, #OakFlat, from destruction by a Chinese-owned mining giant. In Apache Stronghold v. United States, a coalition of Apaches, other Native peoples, and non-Native allies will now continue to fight in court to
    stop the government from transferring Oak Flat to #ResolutionCopper and turning the site into a massive mining
    crater, ending Apache religious practices forever.

    "#JusticeGorsuch, joined by #JusticeThomas, dissented from the Court’s refusal to hear the appeal,
    saying that the Court’s 'decision to shuffle this case off our docket without a full airing is a grievous mistake—one with consequences that threaten to reverberate for generations.'

    "Since time immemorial, 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."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/05

    Link to PDF (with Gorsuch's full dissention):

    supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pd

    #Fight4OurExistence #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #LandBack #sacredland #OakFlat
    #SaveOakFlat #SanCarlosApache #Apache #ReligiousLiberty #NativeAmericans #FirstNations #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews
    #ProtectOakFlat #ProtectTheSacred #ApacheStronghold #NativeAmericanNews #NativeAmericans #RioTinto #CopperMining #Arizona #LeaveItInTheGround #ChichilBildagoteel #WesternApaches #BecketLaw

  44. via @bsnorrell.blogspot.com

    #ApacheStronghold: Fight For Existence Podcast 'A Halted Land Transfer, A Continued Fight'

    "U.S. #SupremeCourt: May 22 is the next possible date for considering the case

    "The federal district court in Phoenix has issued an injunction, halting the land transfer of Apaches Ceremonial Place of Oak Flat -- which is targeted to be destroyed by a copper mine -- until the U.S. Supreme Court hears the case."

    Source:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/05

    Fight for Our Existence podcast, Episode 32 is now available!

    Apache Stronghold: A Halted Land Transfer, A Continued Fight

    Now streaming on all platforms!
    linktr.ee/Fight4ourexistence

    YT: youtube.com/@fight4ourexistenc

    #Fight4OurExistence #SCOTUS #ProtectOakFlat #LandBack #NativePodcast #sacredland #OakFlat
    #SaveOakFlat #SanCarlosApache
    #Apache #ReligiousLiberty
    #NativeAmericans #FirstNations #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews
    #ProtectOakFlat #ProtectTheSacred #ApacheStronghold #NativeAmericanNews #NativeAmericans #RioTinto #CopperMining #Arizona #LeaveItInTheGround #ChichilBildagoteel #WesternApaches #BecketLaw

  45. #Quechan Join #ApacheStronghold on Prayer Journey to Supreme Court

    Written by Báásé Pike, Apache Stronghold
    Photos by Molly Peters #CensoredNews
    August 21, 2024

    "On our prayer journey to the Supreme Court we gathered with the Fort Yuma #QuechanNation. We met with Quechan leaders and members. We had an empowering discussion with council members and Lorey Cachora, archaeologist and tribal historian.

    "Dr. Nosie has stated, 'The fight to protect Oak Flat is bigger than an Apache fight. It is now a fight to protect the human existence and #MotherEarth.'"

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #ReaderSupportedNews #FortYumaQuechanNation

  46. California Coastal Tribes Share Bounty with #ApacheStronghold, on the #PrayerJourney to #SupremeCourt

    Article and photos by Molly Peters, Apache Stronghold,
    #CensoredNews

    August 15, 2024

    LOS ANGELES -- "The Apache Stronghold traveled to #LosAngeles on August 10 for the fourth stop of our journey of prayer to the Supreme Court to stop the shattering of the human existence and protect #MotherEarth.

    "#IndigenousPeople from tribes across California and along the coast gathered with others from the local community at the Chief Ya’anna Learning Village and #Tuatukar #EcoCultural Center for #IndigenousRegeneration. Other groups who came to speak include the #RedRumRiders Motorcycle Club, who pledged their unconditional support for the ongoing journey, offering to accompany the Apache Stronghold as we go on."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/08

    #SanCarlosApache #Arizona #ProtectOakFlat #DefendTheSacred #IndigenousActivism #SCOTUS #SaveOakFlat
    #WaterIsLife #SacredSite #RecycleCopper #MiningWithoutConsent
    #ProtectTheSacred #CulturalGenocide #Ecocide #NativeAmericanNews
    #IndigenousNews
    #Greenwashing #NoMiningWithoutConsent #CorporateColonialism #ReaderSupportedNews

  47. BREAKING: Federal court halts destruction of #OakFlat

    Judge blocks feds’ rush to transfer #Indigenous #SacredSite to foreign mining giant for destruction

    By #BecketLaw, Censored News, May 9, 2025

    WASHINGTON – "A federal court today blocked the U.S. government from plowing ahead with plans to hand over the #WesternApaches’ most sacred site at Oak Flat to a multinational mining giant for destruction."

    Read more:
    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/05

    #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews
    #SaveOakFlat #ProtectOakFlat
    #ProtectTheSacred #ApachStronghold #NativeAmericanNews #NativeAmericans
    #RioTinto #CopperMining #Arizona #LeaveItInTheGround #ChichilBildagoteel

  48. URGENT! #PhoenixArizona - #ApacheStronghold: Run from Oak Flat to Phoenix Courthouse, Run Begins May 4, 2025

    By Wendsler Nosie, Sr., Apache Stronghold
    Censored News, April 29, 2025

    "I am putting out the call to all spiritual runners (runners and walkers), Native and nonnative, to stop the destruction of Chi'chil Bildagoteel. Oak Flat is now on death row!

    "On Sunday, May 4th, Spiritual runners will begin the trek from Oak Flat to the Federal court house, Sandra Day O’Connor Court Building, for the Apache Stronghold vs. U. S. hearing, asking for a preliminary injunction to stop the land transfer of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, because of the US Forest Service intention to publish the Federal environmental impact statement before June 16 -- which allows a foreign mining company, #ResolutionCopper, to take possession of the land!

    "The hearing is scheduled for May 7th at 9:30 am.

    "In the next few days the details will be finalized for the run . Take a stand for future generations. Save this Sacred site for the next generation. This is urgent. Please contact us for more information or let us know you are coming.

    "No drugs or alcohol. This is a spiritual journey.

    "Please, please share this post we don’t have a lot of time. Your help in gathering people together is important. Blessings."

    bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/04

    #CensoredNews #ReaderSupportedNews #SaveOakFlat #ProtectOakFlat #ProtectTheSacred #NativeAmericans #RioTinto #CopperMining #Arizona #LeaveItInTheGround #ChichilBildagoteel