Deeper Meaning Down to the Ore

 

Written by: Adam Clark


https://religionnews.com/2021/03/05/why-oak-flat-in-arizona-is-a-sacred-space-for-the-apache-and-other-native-americans/


        “The Resolution copper mine project will desecrate Chich’il Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, which is the heart of our religious and cultural beliefs,”. This is what chairman San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler said to a News 13 reporter when asked how he felt about the transferring of ownership of his tribal land to a mining company. Rambler’s tribal land is located in Oak Flat, Arizona. This land was home to the Apache tribe and others before they were forced off of it. It is a sacred place for not only the Apache tribe but other tribes as well. Oak Flat is home to a very historic site where 75 Apache warriors jumped off a cliff. They jumped off the cliff instead of being killed by US troops that were surrounding them. This showed they would die for this sacred land. Just as their ancestors fought for this sacred land the Apache tribe on the San carlo reservation is being called upon to fight for the sacred land yet again. This time it was against another adversary that was being aided by the United States Government. Oak Flat is where Ga'an, which are spiritual beings, live. Many tribes people have come here for thousands of years to pray and connect with their god. Aslo this is where their god communicated with the Apache people and gave them blessings. Not only did they come for spiritual guidance they came for the medicinal plants and herbs that the land produces. There are a different variety of sacred rituals performed there still to this day. The earth under Oak Flat is not only valuable for its spiritual significance but a very large ore of copper that Rio Tinto wants to mine. Rio Tinto is one of the world's largest mining companies and is known for the decimation of sacred tribal lands all across the globe. This made it just another day for them when proposing the plan to mine the copper ore beneath Oak Flat. Their plan for mining the copper core is to blow a giant hole under it resulting in the ore falling down to be transported. Not only will a eiffel tower sized hole be left after the mine is down an estimated 1.6 billion tons of toxic waste will be released into the surrounding areas. The company proposed a bill to the Trump Administration and they looked it over within an hour and decided to move forward with it. Since it was decided in December 2014 many indegenous tribes have begun fighting against it. The tribes are arguing that it would destroy one of their sacred tribal lands and a religious site for them. Rio Tinto and the Trump Administration do not care about the cultural significance the land holds for the tribes. All they care about is the copper ore beneath the land that can satisfy %25 of the countries need for copper. The Trump administration was trying to pass the proposed plan before Biden took over office. This driving force is what made it begin to happen so fast without being completely thought through and examined. An engineer from the company said they are taking into consideration all of the tribe's concerns for the land. This is not being taken seriously by the tribe because of the companies known histories for destroying other sacred lands across the world. Rio Tinto believes they, “ find a way to balance jobs, economic benefits in these rural communities, as well as environmental protection and cultural heritage preservation,".  This is the company's attempt at cultural relativism. They are trying to better understand the cultural significance of the land or so they say. Many sacred artifacts and sites have been destroyed at the sacred site by unknown parties but the tribes believe it is being done as an intimidation tactic to get them to stop fighting for their land. Many tribal members go to the land every day and protest the mining site.

        Tribe members are trying to explain to the company and government the importance the land holds to their people and the effect the mining project will have on their culture. With lots of fighting and patience their wishes have come true. When the Biden Administration came into power after the elections. The Biden administration realized what the Trump administration poorly reviewed the project and looked over the proposal. After reviewing the proposal they came to the conclusion that there has not been enough evaluation to move forward in transferring the tribal lands over to the mining company. This reversed the previous decision of giving the land to the mining company and proposed that a new survey be done. This survey calls for deeper investigation into the effects that mining could have on the land and people. Also it places more significance on the cultural significance of the land for the tribes and gives them more input on the situation. The Biden Administration, unlike the Trump Administration, understands the importance of cultural relativism. They understand that there is more than just monetary value to the lands. That you need to stand back and listen to others to fully understand how important something is to people. If you look at things through different perspectives you get a better picture of the situation and land. By doing this there is hope that they can mine the copper in a better way that is not destructive to the land and culture.



Sources:

Center for Biological Diversity. “Trump Administration Rushes to Trade Sacred Oak Flat to Rio Tinto for Massive Arizona Copper Mine.” Center for Biological Diversity, Center for Biological Diversity, 7 Jan. 2021, biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/trump-administration-rushes-trade-sacred-oak-flat-rio-tinto-massive-arizona-copper-mine-2021-01-07/.

Main, Douglas. Sacred Native American Land at Oak Flat, Arizona, to Be Traded to MINING GIANT. 10 Feb. 2021, www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/oak-flat-exchange-arizona-sacred-site-mining-company.

Molina, Alejandra, and Emily McFarlan Miller. “Why Oak Flat in Arizona Is a Sacred Space for the Apache and Other Native Americans.” Religion News Service, 7 Mar. 2021, religionnews.com/2021/03/05/why-oak-flat-in-arizona-is-a-sacred-space-for-the-apache-and-other-native-americans/.

“Newspaper & Magazine;Articles.” Newspaper & Magazine Articles - Apache Stronghold, apache-stronghold.com/articles.html.

Oven, Sarah. “Feds Rescind OK for Copper Mine at Oak Flat, Seek 'Thorough Review'.” Https://Www.kold.com, Kold News 13, 2 Mar. 2021, www.kold.com/2021/03/02/feds-rescind-ok-copper-mine-oak-flat-seek-thorough-review/.

Romo, Christine, et al. “Sacred Apache Land 'on Death Row' in Standoff with Foreign Mining Titans.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 10 Mar. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sacred-apache-land-death-row-standoff-foreign-mining-titans-n1259331.

Salmasi, Neeka. “Oak Flat – United States.” Sacred Land, 26 Nov. 2018, sacredland.org/oak-flat-united-states/.


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