57 Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians Urge Senate to Nix Sacred Land Giveaway

Indian Country Today Media Network ^ | December 12, 2014 | by Gale Courey Toensing

[Oldeconomybuyer]

More than 70 tribal nations have urged the U.S. Senate to defeat or remove a section of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that would transfer a part of the publicly-owned Tonto National Forest that is sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe to a giant international corporation for a massive, environmentally devastating copper mine.

“If such a land transfer provision seems out of place in a defense bill, that’s because it is. If the idea of transferring the ownership of federal forest lands to foreign mining companies seems absurd, it’s because that’s true, too,” said Fawn Sharp, President of the Quinault Indian Nation and ATNI and Area Vice President of the National Congress of American Indians.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I'm with the tribes.

[blackdog]

So why don’t the tribes go into the copper mining business? The mining of domestic copper in the US is a matter of national security.

[SandRat]

Summon the Cief’s
Gather all the Braves
Sound the War-Drums......

[dasboot]

Thought they might be speaking of the entire US!

[doc1019]

Didn’t some tribe try that a few years back?

[AlmaKing]

I live near this. There’s nothing out there but a minor number of apaches begging for money or food at gas stations.

[odawg]

” that is sacred to the San Carlos Apache Tribe “

Indian lands are always termed “sacred”. Maybe Americans should adopt that concept and apply it liberally.

[Sacajaweau]

You mean work?? They like to lease and collect checks.

[Brother Cracker]

[Sacajaweau]

That's sad....but over the years, they simply haven't adopted a good work ethic. That's a big, general opinion.

I have Indian friends and they do work...but they left the reservation a long time ago.

[moovova]

“57 Affiliated Tribes...”

Give one U.S. state to each tribe.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Well played sir!

[Hugin]

It’s not their land. It’s ours. Or it was. It’s Tonto National Forest, as it says in the article.

[Jeff Chandler]

I'm with the tribes.

Funny, you don't read Jewish.

[TigersEye]

... the land swap provision will allow Resolution Copper Co., a subsidiary of the controversial international mining conglomerate Rio Tinto, to acquire 2,400 acres of the federally protected public land in the Tonto National Forest in southeast Arizona in exchange for 5,000 acres in parcels scattered around the state.

It is our land and I was wondering what the taxpayers would get out of this. The article has the answer to that. I would like to know what condition those 5,000 acres is in and how scattered and small those parcels are. IOWs are they of any real value and will the FedMob make them FS land ... or what?

[Do_Tar]

Unless they want to build a casino.
http://www.hcn.org/issues/113/3599

[Jeff Chandler]

So why don’t the tribes go into the copper mining business?

Or grow pot?

[lrdg]

Why should “Northwest” Indians be concerned with something happening in Arizona?

[okie01]

If I am not mistaken, the new deep copper mine is being developed on the site of and a mile underneath an abandoned copper mine -- the old Magma Copper mine at Superior, AZ.

As such, the environmental impact of the operation should be relatively small.

[hal ogen]

We were at a pueblo in NM years ago. Taking their picture was “forbidden” because they would lose their souls or some such BS. However, if you paid them $5 you could take their picture (apparently without their soul being disturbed). Indians usually make everything “sacred” if it fits their plans. Are their casinos sacred? Is the alcohol they consume or the dugs “sacred”?