On May 7, 2025, Apache Stronghold returned to federal court in Phoenix, Arizona, in the ongoing fight to protect Oak Flat—Chi’chil Biłdagoteel—from destruction by Resolution Copper. I was there, alongside my daughter, nieces, and relatives, singing Apache songs and standing in solidarity. This episode brings you the uncut voices from that day: speeches from Nizhoni and Wendsler Nosie before the hearing, and from Vanessa Nosie, attorney Luke Goodrich, Naelyn Pike, and Wendsler Nosie again after court.

We close with two Apache songs—offered in prayer, strength, and spiritual resistance.

The judge has said a decision will come no later than May 14 at 5 p.m. Until then, we continue to fight for our existence.

In this episode of Fight 4 Our Existence, we have a powerful conversation with my niece Naelyn Pike, a Chiricahua Apache youth leader and lifelong defender of Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat.

Naelyn shares the spiritual and cultural significance of this sacred site, and why she continues to stand with Apache Stronghold in resistance to Resolution Copper — a foreign mining company attempting to desecrate Apache holy land in Arizona.

We talk about what it means to carry tradition, fight for the right to pray, and protect sacred land for the generations yet to come. This is more than a political fight — it’s a spiritual one.

Apache Stronghold Website

https://www.apache-stronghold.com/

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold to discuss the latest developments in the legal battle to protect Oak Flat, known to the Apache as Chi'chil Bildagoteel. Wendsler shares insight into the recent court rulings in Apache Stronghold v. United States, the Forest Service’s plan to republish the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), and the sacred significance of the land under threat from the proposed Resolution Copper mine. This conversation dives deep into the spiritual and legal dimensions of Indigenous land defense and the urgent need to stand in solidarity.

Apache Stronghold Website

http://apache-stronghold.com

Apache Messenger Newspaper

https://www.apachemessenger.com