Sunday, July 19, 2015

Apache Stronghold Caravan Vows to Protect Sacred Sites from Miners

Apache Stronghold Caravan Calls to Protect Sacred Sites After Clause Slipped into NDAA Allows Mining

by DemocracyNow!

Members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe are fighting to preserve sacred sites in Arizona after lawmakers slipped a clause into the National Defense Authorization Act that would allow copper mining in the area. The land in question includes parts of Tonto National Forest, including Oak Flat and Devil’s Canyon, and could also impact nearby Apache Leap, an important historic site where a group of Apache who were being pursued by U.S. cavalry plunged off a cliff to their deaths rather than be captured.


Resolution Copper Mining, a subsidiary of British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, has long sought ownership of the land. But the battle is not over. Earlier this month, a group called the Apache Stronghold began a caravan from Tucson, Arizona, to Washington, D.C., to call for this land to once again be protected. On their way, they stopped in New York today and joined us in our studio. We speak with Wendsler Nosie Sr., Peridot District Council member and former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. He’s the founder of the Apache Stronghold. His granddaughter, Naelyn Pike, also joins us.

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