About Us
"They declared war on our religion. We must stand in unity and fight to the very end, for this is a holy war." -Wendsler Nosie Sr., long-time opponent of the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and former Chairman and Councilman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe.
Our Mission
Apache Stronghold, San Carlos, Arizona, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit community organization of individuals who come together in unity to battle continued colonization, defend Holy sites and freedom of religion, and are dedicated to building a better community through neighborhood programs and civic engagement. We work from San Carlos, Arizona, connecting Apaches and other Native and non-Native allies from all over the world.
"We must all decolonize from the intent of how America was founded to enable us to call America home."
— Wendsler Nosie, Sr.
Chi’chil Biłdagoteel Dził Nchaa Si'an
Chi’chil Biłdagoteel (also known as Oak Flat) is a sacred site for our Apache people and many other Native Americans. This is a place that has special significance— a place where we pray, collect water and medicinal plants for ceremonies, gather acorns and other foods, and honor those that are buried here. We have never lost our relationship to Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, though the U.S. Government, at times in our history, has imprisoned us on our Reservations and not allowed us to come here. We have established an encampment to protect the Holy Ground at Chi’chil Biłdagoteel with its four crosses, representing the entire surrounding sacred area, including its water, animals, oak trees, and other plants central to our tribal identity. The four crosses are now part of the body of Chi’chil Biłdagoteel.
Dził Nchaa Si'an (also known as Mount Graham) is a sacred mountain for our Apache people, central to our spiritual beliefs, serving as the home of the Ga'an (Mountain Spirits), and a place of ancestral burial. We have been fighting for Mount Graham for decades. A host of different groups, including the Vatican and the University of Arizona, proposed building telescopes on the mountain. They received a partial exemption from federal environmental laws for the Mount Graham International Observatory project. In 1995, Congress allowed them the mountain top so they could build the now existing three telescopes. In 1997, Wendsler Nosie Sr. was arrested after praying on the mountain with the charges of criminal trespassing on Mount Graham by the University of Arizona and U.S. Forest Service officials. This has been an ongoing fight that continues to this day.