Apache Elders mourn loss of Spiritual Leader Ola
Cassadore Davis
SAN CARLOS, Ariz. – Apache tribal elders in southeastern
Arizona expressed the loss of a well known Apache spiritual leader, Ola
Cassadore Davis, who entered the spirit world on Nov. 25 when she was 89 years
old.
With tears coming down her cheeks, 80 year-old, Gladys
Longstreet Hinton, said in her native Apache language, “We are surely going to
miss our friend and relative, Ola! She
was related to my late husband, Henry Hinton, Sr., and we come from families
that are spiritual leaders within our communities.”
“Her late brother, Philip Cassadore, was also a spiritual
leader and Ola took on many responsibilities of her brother in helping protect
our Apache traditional way of life.”
“She had a wonderful spirit. She was kind and she was very
compassionate. She always thought about
other people, especially our Apache people here.”
“She had a special gift and that was to bring people
around her. She had a beautiful
personality and she was always nice, no matter what. She participated in our traditional ceremonies
and she always spoke up to protect our sovereign rights and especially to
protect our culture and sacred sites.”
“She always had a smile on her face, no matter what time
of the day you saw her. She always
encouraged our youth to pray and ask our Creator to watch over all of us and
for them to live to become elders.”
“When I had my coming of age ceremony at the Men’s Club
in Bylas, my late father, Jeff Longstreet, he was the head Apache Mountain
Spirit Dancer, and he prayed for me. He
told me I would live to be an elder and today I am 80 years old and this is the
kind of prayers that Ola had for our people, all of them, the young and the
old. Every day, all year round, our
spiritual leaders, they are always in prayer and asking our Creator to watch
over us.”
“She was one tribal elder and spiritual leader that was
not afraid to speak up when our inherent rights were violated. She was very vocal and she made her
point. She was always standing up to the
White People and reminding them that they took away a lot of our land and they
were trying to make us like them.”
“She was an avid fighter and we are going to miss her
visiting us in our communities. I
appreciate all her help and her husband, Mike, who always stood by her side and
helping with whatever he could to help our Apache people.”
Chesley Wilson, Sr., spiritual leader, actor and artist
within the Bylas community, added in his native Apache language, “I remember
all the fights that Ola had when it came to protecting our sacred sites,
especially at our holy Dzil Nchaa Sian, Mount Graham is what they call it.”
“She had gatherings on top of our sacred mountain and we
always were in prayer and we all prayed for the eternal existence of our Apache
culture, our songs, our prayers, our language and for our people.”
“I lived in Tucson for many years and that’s when I got
to know Ola and her husband, Mike Davis, pretty good. They were always ready to stand guard in
protecting our Apache way of life. She
was always full of energy. She could
talk. She could sing. She could sure say strong words in protecting
our Apache people.”
“She was not afraid to speak up to the University of
Arizona, who was the one that started the telescope project on top of our
sacred mountain. She was not afraid to
speak against the Vatican because they are the ones that donated all kinds of
money to build the telescopes on our sacred mountain.”
“She will always be remembered for her commitment and
true dedication to help our Apache people.
She was a kind woman and prayed for many people. She will be greatly missed.”
Shera Day, god-daughter of Ola Davis, pointed out, “I was
so fortunate to have been a god-daughter to Ola. She was a good example for me and she always
encouraged me to finish school and get a career. Like she did, I became a nurse and now I am
helping children with respiratory care and it was because she set the path out
for me to follow.”
“I remember she came out with my god-father, Mike Davis,
the day they came to Bylas after my family had given her with a stone and eagle
feather and asked her to become my God-mother.
She stood there as our family presented her with gifts and she said she
didn’t bring any gifts and she was surprised and said she didn’t bring any
gifts to exchange. But to me, that
didn’t matter, because having Ola Cassadore Davis as my God-mother, was truly
the greatest gift to me.”
“I will miss her and her sweet ways. When I was in Afghanistan, she told my mother
that she was praying for me and that I would return safely from the U.S. Army
and rejoin my family and to be sure and come and visit her.”
“When I returned back to the United States and made my
way back to our Apache reservation, I visited with her and Mike at their
trailer in the Peridot District. She
cried and held me close to her heart and told me that she prayed and I could
come home safely and to come and see her.”
“She fought for the rights of all indigenous people, not
just for Apaches. She was a brave Apache
woman. She was not afraid at all. She was loved by many people and she made
many friends. I looked at pictures of
her. She traveled through America and
even to Europe in fighting for our rights as Apaches. There was the one that I liked of her when
she went before the National Congress of American Indians convention during the
time when President Bill Clinton was first sworn into office in Washington,
D.C.”
“She spoke before the NCAI and she had them pass a
resolution to stop the additional $10 million funding that the University of
Arizona was trying to get to build more telescopes on top of Mount Graham. Sure enough, after that resolution was
passed, President Clinton did veto the bill.
She helped make history that day and she never gave up and these are the
teachings that I am passing on to my children.”
“She always showed respect to our tribal leaders and I
know that she prayed for my uncle, Terry Rambler, who is the Tribal Chairman of
the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Just as our
leaders tell us, she always stressed the importance of keeping our Apache
culture alive by speaking it, singing it and praying for its survival.”
“That was the kind of fighter my god-mother, Ola
Cassadore Davis, was and I will always remember her and treasure the time that
I had a chance to spend with her. Thank
you, God-Mother, may you rest in peace and my sincere condolences to the
Cassadore and Davis families. She
brought a lot of pride, love and wisdom to us,” concluded Shera Day.
Ola Cassadore Davis is survived by her husband, Mike
Davis, two sons, 4 daughters, 14 grandchildren and one sister, Pansy Cassadore.
“I want to say thank you to everyone that helped us
during this time and for all the donations, songs and words that people
expressed to us,” pointed out Pansy Cassadore.
“Thank you to all the friends of the family that came
like Sky Crosby and Roger Featherstone from Tucson, Dr. Robin Silver from Flagstaff, Dr.
Elizabeth Brandt from Phoenix, Keith Basso from Show Low, Lawyer Michael Nixon
from Oregon, our Peridot District Council and former Tribal Chairman, Wendsler
Nosie, Sr., and Terry Rambler, our present Tribal Chairman and many others.”
“She was the last Chairperson of the Apache Survival
Coalition and we will all miss my beloved sister, Ola,” concluded tribal elder,
Pansy Cassadore.
Ola Cassadore Davis was laid to rest on Dec. 1st,
on her beloved San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in San Carlos, Arizona.
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