Chants, rattles and bells were part of a ceremony to bless and cleanse the Hualapai activists as they continue a 1,200 - mile walk across Arizona to draw attention to mining on tribal lands.
On Monday morning, dozens of families, elders and teenagers gathered at the Quechuan Tribal Chambers. In gratitude and support of the Hualapai runners protest walk.
President of the Quechuan Tribal Council, Jonathan Koteen, enphasized the importance of protecting their land.
“It coincides, you know, kind of with the same stuff that we're doing here at home because, you know, we do have, um, a lot of issues, you know, with our ancestral lands. So, um, we do have our national monument campaign that we've been pushing. And then also, you know, we do have gold mines right in our backyard that are always, you know, threatening our, our sacred sites and a lot of our, uh, safe spaces that we have.”
Hualapai activists are walking across Arizona to draw attention to mining operations on tribal lands. The walk is a protest against a proposed lithium mine near the Hualapai Tribe's sacred Ha'Kamwe' hot spring.
Ivan Bender, and elder and member of the Hualapai tribe is the leader of the protest. In a month, Ivan alongside activists will be stopping at native communities to create awareness.
“This morning we got invited out to, uh, the tribal administration for the, uh, tribe, and it's been an honor to be here, uh, again, you know, for for the things that we believe. You know, there's this thing called belief. You know, we believe that what we're doing is the best thing that can happen for the people, not just for one generation or one nationality."
"It's for everybody. This is about everybody. Everybody has to be involved in this because of what's happening to their world, not just ours. Uh, again, a lot of it is our, uh, what we call our ancestral lands and our sacred waters. Yet this involves a lot of people that that that it affects. It just doesn't affect native people. It affects all nationalities because we all depend on one thing water, land. And the most important thing about all this is, is, uh, the future generations of your children to come because they're going to need water.”
Ivan Bender, says it is more about the path rather than the mileage. Ahmad Talieje Warbington, is Ivan Bender’s nephew, he has also followed the journey and is 800 miles in.
“We started off in wake you up. Arizona made our way to Peach Springs and Walapai country. Havasupai, uh, Flagstaff, uh, Sedona, Camp Verde, uh, Payson to the salt River communities, uh, Apache community, uh, Tohono O'odham Nations, and now Yuma.”
Bender explained that a lithium mine being installed in one of their sacred sites in Wikieup, Arizona is not only disrespectful to their beliefs but to aquifers that also connect with the Colorado River.
“Because of how these industries operate is they're very neglectful, very disrespectful to our sacred sites. You know, just them going through what we believe as religious ceremonial parts. And you would think in this country, you know, under the Religious Freedom Act, that those places would be protected and not bothered because they wouldn't go off and destroy churches, you know, like they do now, like, versus what we do."
Activist Erica Lin’hendel, is a runner that has been joining the protest on and off since September 7 at the Haulapai Nation.
“I joined when the run was near Phoenix I just kept on going whenever I can, the whole route is 1200 miles, it’’s more than that because sometimes there are changes, It’s really powerful, and powerful to meet so many amazing people, and to see people really connect deeply over the love of Mother Earth and protection.”
The journey aims to bring public attention to tribal concerns about mining and the protection of land and water.
