OP ED

Oak Flat is a sacred site? It never was before

Former tribe historian: A mining shaft was built there in the 1970s with no protest from the tribe.

Dale Miles
AZ I See It
The San Carlos Apache Tribe considers Oak Flat sacred and is trying to block the proposed copper mine.
  • There has not been a long history of ceremonial or cultural activities taking place at Oak Flat
  • In 1970, the Magma Copper Company built a mine shaft on Oak Flat. There were no protests then
  • It wasn’t until recent years that the site of Oak Flat was called sacred

It was with great interest that my son, who just graduated from Arizona State University, showed me a recent story regarding the controversy around Oak Flat, near the small mining town of Superior.

As a San Carlos tribal member and Apache historian, I was surprised by some of the misinformation contained within the op-ed.

THE ISSUE: Copper mining and the fight for Oak Flat

PRO: Mine will boost economy, protect sacred sites

CON: Mine will hurt tribe, environment

My book, “The History of the San Carlos Apache,” published by the San Carlos Apache Historic and Cultural Preservation Office in 1997, offers a much different perspective. There has not been a long history of ceremonial or cultural activities such as Sunrise or Holy Ground ceremonies taking place at Oak Flat.

Oak Flat an unlikely place for ceremonies

From my personal perspective, the thought of having such a ceremony at Oak Flat, far from the support of relatives, clan members and friends in the San Carlos tribal area is almost unthinkable.

My uncle, who lived in Superior, would regularly attend most tribal ceremonies. He would travel to the San Carlos Apache reservation or the White Mountain Apache reservation. I attended my first tribal Sunrise ceremony at Cibecue, in the White Mountains; the idea of having a sunrise ceremony at Oak Flat was never considered.

Such an event requires the support of family, relatives and friends plus the input of the medicine man or spiritual person who performs the complex ceremony. He has much to say about the site, and choosing the right place is important because the dance often becomes a community event.

Evidently the person who wrote the op-ed didn’t have much knowledge on what the ceremony involves in commitment, logistics and preparation.

The site wasn't sacred in the 1970s

In 1970, the Magma Copper Company built a mine shaft on Oak Flat that you can see from the passing highway. No member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe said anything about it being a sacred site. I know because I was living in Superior at the time. Some tribal people from San Carlos even talked about getting employment with the mine.

There were no protests, no publicity of any kind. Why not? If this area was sacred, wouldn’t opposition arise many years before today? There was never any statement made by tribal members or tribal leadership.

It wasn’t until recent years that the site of Oak Flat was called sacred in any kind of way. All one has to do is examine the records to see if the word sacred was ever used for the site.

The truth: No one wants to balk the tribe

However, the real truth about speaking out with an opinion on Oak Flat contrary to the tribal government’s stance is fear. People working for the tribe will often say (to me and others) that if they go against what the tribal council supports, they will be fired.

Does it not bother anyone that rarely do we hear a voice of someone on the street who doesn’t support tribal government’s view on Oak Flat? If people have a different opinion on a subject they should not have to be called traitors or be accused of being against their own people.

Before making any kind of judgment on a subject of importance, all the facts should be studied and examined to the utmost for the good of all concerned.

Dale Miles of San Carlos is a member and former tribal historian of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

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