AN INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVE ON MINING SACRED LANDS

We will provide an introduction into the perspective of the original caretakers of the land, who today live within and use an area proposed for mining. We consider Chi’Chil Bilda’Goteel (Oak Flat) our home since time immemorial. The ancestral homelands, the religion and the future of indigenous people is still under attack by the United States government. Mother Earth is our best teacher; the water, the wind, and the trees all have a purpose. Human beings need to understand and respect the land. All minerals have a reason for existence.

Mother Earth is Creator’s greatest gift, not a resource to be exploited. There is a significant moral difference between those who seek to destroy the Earth for profit and those who are spiritually connected to the Earth. Mining, genocide, and colonization are contributing factors to the continued destruction of the Earth. Learning from the past is a sustainable practice and will ensure the next generation has clean water. All living things need water to survive.