In the Sonoran Desert of what is now called the state of Arizona, a sacred site for the Western Apache people called Oak Flat (known in Apache as Chi’chil Biłdagoteel) may soon become the property of an international copper mining company. A remarkable multifaith coalition, including Buddhists, has come together to fight this transfer, which has been making its way through numerous legal battles.
Since time immemorial, Apache and other Native American tribes have come to Oak Flat to pray, to collect water and medicinal plants for ceremonies, to honor those who are buried here, and to hold religious gatherings. Some of the oak trees in the area are more than a thousand years old and provide acorn flour, important as both a food source and as a ceremonial item. Young Apache girls come to Chi’chil Biłdagoteel for their coming-of-age rites.
For many years, the US government protected Oak Flat but in 2014, a rider included in the National Defense Authorization Act Bill stipulated that the land be transferred to Resolution Copper, a multi-national mining company. Resolution Copper plans to build one of the world’s largest, and the largest in North America, copper mines on the site using a technique that would cause the area to collapse into a crater nearly two miles wide and a thousand feet deep. The project would decimate Oak Flat and the surrounding desert, and render this sacred land inaccessible to the Indigenous people who have been its stewards.
The resistance to this land transfer has been led by Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit organization based in San Carlos, Arizona, comprised of Native and non-Native allies who have united to defend Indigenous freedom of religion and holy sites, including Oak Flat. The legal effort to protect Oak Flat has taken many twists and turns. The latest development came on 27 May 2025, when the US Supreme Court declined to hear the Apache religious freedom case. But there is still hope, as a district court has delayed any transfer until 7 January 2026, when further hearings will be held.
The struggle to protect Oak Flat has unfolded in courtrooms, but it has also been a spiritual struggle. Since 2015, Apache Stronghold has organized multi-day prayer runs to sacred Apache sites, including Oak Flat. Native and non-Native supporters are invited to accompany the runners, witnessing and at times participating in ceremonies along the route.
In February 2025, two practitioners in the Plum Village tradition, Joanne Connelly and Cathy Cockrell, were inspired to learn more about Oak Flat by their friend Jim, an activist Mennonite friend who was part of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery. The Coalition was founded by a group of Mennonite churches in response to the harms caused to Indigenous people by the Doctrine of Discovery. Its multi-generational mission is to repair those harms.
As Joanne and Cathy learned about this issue, they helped to form the first Buddhist delegation to join the annual Oak Flat prayer run in June 2025. Its six members came from different lineages and states, supported by the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery.
Several more Dharma practitioners later joined the Coalition’s ongoing work in solidarity with Apache Stronghold and formed the Buddhist Working Group. The group now has 15 members, many from sanghas connected to the Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism (PVCEB). Also represented are Dhammapada Sangha, Spirit Rock, Sacred Mountain Sangha, East Bay Meditation Center, Singing Frogs Sangha, and Upaya Sangha of Tucson. Members have given presentations to their sanghas about the effort to save Oak Flat and have organized prayer circles and supported a nationwide speaking tour by Apache Stronghold leader Dr. Wendsler Nosie.
The struggle to protect Oak Flat is a flashpoint that ripples far beyond this sacred land in the Sonoran Desert. As one member of Plum Village’s Earth Holder Sangha, Carolina León Rolón, noted, what’s happening at Oak Flat has been happening over the past 500 years on Turtle Island.
This past Indigenous Peoples Day (13 October 2025), the multi-faith coalition joined Apache Stronghold in a vigil at Oak Flat, which was live-streamed across the world. The group also organized Echo Vigils, which took place in many locations from 11–20 October 2025, to amplify this message of protection. Buddhist practitioners are encouraged to take part in these vigils.
The multi-faith coalition has put together a toolkit for those interested in organizing Echo Vigils, and the Buddhist Working Group is developing what writer and activist Louise Dunlap called “joyous practices” to stand in solidarity with Indigenous people. Louise encourages Buddhists who are interested in supporting this effort to “use the energy of prayer to reach out to those who are decision makers and policy makers.” This might take the form of writing op-eds and letters-to-the-editor for local newspapers, as well as contacting elected officials.
Whatever we do, we can bring the power of mindful awareness and loving-kindness to our actions in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. As the Deer Park Monastery webpage says: “As we chant, eat mindfully, and open our hearts, we are in touch with the sacred land of Oak Flat and with all those standing for its protection.”
See more
Apache Stronghold
Echo Vigil Toolkit
EHC Online Sangha 06/25: “Engaging with Indigenous Land Protection” (YouTube)
Prayers for Oak Flat: Protecting Sacred Land with Our Practice (Deer Park Monastery)
Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery
Related features from BDG
The Prospect of Buddhist Complicity in Genocide, Part Two
Buddhistdoor View: In Times of Chaos, Countries Should Unite in Dharma Solidarity
Restoration and Justice: An Interview with Dr. Natalie Avalos on Indigenous Spirituality and Buddhist Allies
What American Buddhism Looks Like: Solidarity for Immigrants at Fort Sill
Foundations of Interreligious Solidarity
