The United States of America as we know it today was founded through deception and genocide of the Indigenous people who were stewards of this land since time immemorial. “A Sacred Unity” is a collaborative project documenting the Apache Stronghold’s fight to heal from the past by protecting sacred sites, religious freedom, and the environment for future generations.
Since January 2021, I have made countless trips now to Apache sacred sites Oak Flat (Chi’chil Biłdagoteel) and Mt. Graham (Dził Nchaa Si’an), including nearly four months spent living on the San Carlos Apache Reservation with the Nosie family. I’m deeply honored that they opened their home and lives to me, entrusting me with knowledge about the Apache religion, history, and culture that is rarely, if ever, shared with outsiders.
Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. is a former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the founder of the Apache Stronghold, a nonprofit coalition of diverse people dedicated to protecting Native sacred land from desecration and destruction. Dr. Nosie refers to the movement to protect sacred sites as “a personal journey to a sacred unity.” We have to come together to heal from the past and protect what is left. I never forget the fact that I am white, descended from European immigrants (Austrian refugees, Scottish and Irish settlers). He is a Chiricahua Apache from the Bedonkohe clan, descended from the same band as Geronimo. Together, we are creating a record of the past and present, to be used as a blueprint for the future.
The Apaches are the last prisoners of America’s first war, waged against its Native people. With up to 90% of America’s Indigenous population exterminated through war and disease, those who survived were deceived, imprisoned, and left with broken promises. The cultural genocide against Indigenous people is ongoing.
Apaches famously resisted military domination, and they paid dearly for their effort to keep their independence and ancestral homelands. Though the Apache Wars officially ended in 1886, conflicts extended into the 1920s, with restrictions on tribal members and forced relocation and assimilation of children continuing for decades.
The traditional Apache way of life emphasizes family and spirituality though a tight-knit community, intricately tied to their ancient ceremonies, which include sweat lodge ceremonies for the men and the Sunrise Ceremony, an Apache girl’s coming-of-age. Ceremonies teach essential skills and endurance, which shape individuals and the community. The Apache religion is geocentric, inextricably tied to these specific sacred places for ceremonies and prayer.
Oak Flat, in Tonto National Forest, is under imminent threat from Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of foreign mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP. These companies have a proven track record of human rights violations and environmental destruction across the globe. The proposed mine will decimate this irreplaceable sacred site, leaving a crater two miles wide and a thousand feet deep, and an environmental disaster behind. Congress exempted Resolution Copper from all federal environmental law, so once the land is transferred, there won’t be any restrictions or oversight of the mine’s activity, setting a dangerous precedent. Other corporations are lining up already to request similar exemptions.
In early 2021, the Apache Stronghold filed a lawsuit against the United States, aiming to protect Oak Flat by forcing the government to honor the Apaches’ right to freely practice their religion on their sacred ancestral homelands. The lawsuit also cites a treaty from 1852 which never transferred Oak Flat to the United States; it is still Apache territory.
In an unprecedented move, the federal court allowed Resolution Copper to join the US in the lawsuit in May 2023, so foreign corporations are now fighting alongside the United States against their Indigenous people.
In March 2024, following a rare en banc hearing in front of a panel of 11 judges, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 6-5 against the Apache Stronghold. This summer, their appeal will be filed with the US Supreme Court.
My photographs focus on the Apache Stronghold’s outreach work, prayer runs, religious ceremonies, and daily life on the reservation. I collaborate closely with Dr. Nosie to ensure accuracy. I’m deeply grateful for his guidance and vision. Every piece of this project is undertaken with his support, often at his request.
The Apache Stronghold’s message is resonating deeply with people across the country, as they work towards a future where the environment and all religions are protected for generations to come. America is fractured today because the foundation, its base, is not solid. By reckoning with the past, there is hope for healing as we work collectively towards a better future.
