Running for Life

Kevin Liddell writes about his experience meeting Apache leader Wendsler Nosie:

“During our first week in Arizona we traveled north from Tucson to Oak Flat, a campground in the Tonto National Forest near Superior, Arizona.  While there we experienced a conversation with Wendsler Nosie that conjured different opinions and unsettling emotions.

After we arrived at Oak Flat, we unpacked and explored this new place that is under siege by foreign-owned Resolution Copper.

As the sun set and we started getting ready for bed, we were greeted by a tall, strong figure that called himself Wendsler Nosie.

Wendsler sat us down with a lantern in the middle of our circle and introduced himself as a Chiricahua Apache, a minority among his fellow Apache on the San Carlos Reservation.  This reservation has a government that was “corrupted” by Apache that yielded to the US government. Despite being the huge minority, 80 Chiricahua Apache among a total population of 4,000 Apache, he used his running to get people to recognize him and won the election.  He believes this is a huge factor to his victory and his first step to fighting back against the “company” known as America that stole everything from his people.  During this conversation he talked about the American flag and what it meant to him.  To Wendsler, every star on the flag represents land taken by the Americans, mocking the Native Americans who originally lived there.              And there is no place on the flag that honors this loss.  He said, ‘I just can’t bring myself to stand for it.’

The Oak Flat conflict has caused Wendsler to make a copious number of sacrifices.  His protest against the proposed land transfer is literally life-threatening.  In his two years living on Oak Flat protesting, he has been shot at multiple times.  These threats have caused him to live a life of isolation – away from his family, away from his friends – on this sacred land.

Wendsler told an emotional story about a conversation he had with his family when he told them he could not see them as often as before.  While feeling terrible about his sacrifice, Wendsler’s son said, ‘it’s OK, we know what you have to do.’ We could tell in his voice the impact this had on his journey.

Wendsler feels threatened by the people who would gain from exploiting this land.  This is one reason we decided not to take any photographs of him during our visit.  After he left us the next day, we had a scary experience that put into perspective the danger he is in.  While packing to leave, a helicopter flew over our camp and did two circles over us at a close, observable height.  I believe they were looking for Wendsler.

I would like to conclude with this quote from Wendsler sharing part of his wisdom I could not completely touch on.  ‘When you think something negative, don’t say it.  Because if you do, the wind will take it and affect many people.’”