About us

Our Name

In the Apache language, the word ndè means man or person. Traditionally, our people didn’t refer to themselves as Apache but as Ndé. Bikéeyá means homeland and can be translated as “beneath his or her feet.” So Ndé Bikéeyá means Apache Homeland.

Our Mission

Ndé Bikéeyá’s mission includes receiving land back, cultivating places for community building through shared ceremonial, educational, and healing activities, and conserving and restoring indigenous cultural and natural resources within the Chiricahua Apache traditional homeland.

We believe that the land has power. That Chiricahua Apaches who spend time on the land, who engage in ceremonies here, can receive its healing power.  We are dedicated to creating places to make this possible.  

Our Board

Ndé Bikéeyá’s charter requires that a majority of its board be of Chiricahua Apache descent and enrolled members of federally recognized tribes.  The board’s current size is three, but it may expand as we grow.

Karen Weilacher—President

Karen Weilacher was raised in Kentucky and worked as a groundskeeper on a dude-ranch in Arizona as a teenager. She was captivated by the natural beauty of the Cochise Stronghold during her first visit to the Dragoon Mountains. She returned every year, eventually acquiring a small piece of land and permanently moving to the Stronghold after retiring from Paramount Pictures.

Jeff Haozous—Treasurer

Jeff Haozous is a great great grandson of Chiricahua Apache Chief Mangas Coloradas and a member of the Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, whose ancestors were relocated from Arizona in 1886 and held as prisoners for over 27 years. In 1914, they were released in Oklahoma. Jeff visited Cochise Stronghold in 2002 and felt a sense of being home. Later that year, he was elected tribal chairman and led efforts to develop a casino in southern New Mexico. He also visited the Cochise Stronghold several times, albeit briefly.

After completing his role as tribal chairman in 2018, Jeff spent the night in the stronghold for the first time in 2019. That visit awakened a deep connection to the land. He relocated to the stronghold in 2021 with the goal of writing a memoir. Jeff entered the Institute of American Indian Arts MFA in Creative Writing program and graduated in May 2023. A few months later, he and Karen began working to found Ndé Bikéeya.

Tina Cochise—Board Member

Tina Cochise is the eldest child of the late Silas Cochise, Sr. and a great-great-granddaughter of Chiricahua Apache Chief Cochise. She’s a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, whose members include descendants of those Chiricahua Apaches who were relocated from Arizona in 1886 and held as prisoners for 27 years. In 1913, they were released onto the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Tina lives at Mescalero and works for the Inn of the Mountain Gods.