A Second Chance to Protect Oak Flat

The Apache Stronghold was in Washington, D.C. this last weekend to submit an appeal to the Supreme Court (June 23, 2025) asking to hear their case to stop the U.S. government from transferring sacred Oak Flat to Resolution Copper which would lead to the destruction of Oak Flat, severing and destroying their spiritual connection to the Ga'an (Holy Spirits) and Usen (God). You can read the press release below. There is hope with this re-appeal in part because there is a precedence of the Supreme Court accepting re-appeals and then siding in favor for them. But there is more hope because there is an "impending ruling in another Becket case, Mahmoud v. Taylor. In Mahmoud, the Court is expected to clarify what it means for the government to "burden" a person's religious freedom- a question at the heart of Apache Stronghold's case."

The Power of Children up against the dominant powers of this world.

On this particular journey to D.C. with the Apache Stronghold I was moved by the prayers and blessing of the children we met with on Sunday morning. First, the Apache Stronghold and Dr. Wendsler Nosie, Sr. could have easily chosen to accept invitations to speak at large and "important" churches at what others might see as the spiritual places of power and influence in support of their case. No. Instead, the Apache Stronghold chose to meet with a small and humble group of children and their families who rent a small place to worship where probably only a small number of people even know about, before heading to the Supreme Court the next day. To go with the prayers of the children says so much to me about this fight to protect Mother Earth. The Apache fight is a spiritual fight that is up against the principalities and powers of this capitalist and colonial system of which the Supreme Court itself is a part of. So the real fight is not to get the Supreme Court to issue a win for some rights within this box, within this system of power, but rather, to get the Supreme Court justices to see the destruction this evil system is causing and to step outside that box to side with the Apache through laws (as just a start) to protect not just Oak Flat but also the spirituality of all people who know Mother Earth is God's greatest gift to us and who know the reality and responsibility of being in right relationship with our Mother and all our non human relatives. Children often know this better than adults before they are "educated" to fit into the colonial box. The power this system of evil hails as greatest is domination and control over. The power that will upend it will be the power of connection and responsibility to care for one another and our Mother Earth. These children showed us this power and prayed for us in this way.

One of the scriptures read that morning was chosen by Leo from the Gospel of John about the True Vine. Here is what he spoke to us:

"This is a reading about connection, how all the branches are connected in the vine. The True Vine can have blockages. If you think of the true vine as a heart and how it pumps blood out and takes blood everywhere, a blockage stops this. Blockages in us prevent us from being who we are supposed to be. The copper mine and the Supreme Court have some blockages, and we’re helping them to become healed and reconnected through prayer."

This was their prayer for us:

For the blueness of the sky, the clouds and the sun… Let all nature grow!

For the beauty of the earth to be saved and restored… Let all nature grow!

For the animals at Oak Flat that they have babies and more babies and more babies… Let all nature grow!

For the animals and trees and birds’ nests and birds… Let all nature grow!

For the water and the plants and for all creation at Oak Flat, that they don’t get destroyed or hurt at all… Let all nature grow!

For the people of Oak Flat and that they don’t loose hope… Let all nature grow!

For the lives of the Supreme Court justices, even if they may have chosen the wrong choice; may they receive the light and say to Resolution Copper “stop immediately with the mine”! Let all nature grow!