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 grew up in Kentucky and worked as a groundskeeper at a dude ranch in Arizona when she was a teenager.

She was captivated by the natural beauty of the Cochise Stronghold during her first visit to the Dragoon Mountains. She returned each year, and in 1986, she bought a small piece of land in the canyon. Karen moved permanently to the Stronghold after retiring from Paramount Pictures.

Jeff Haozous—Treasurer

Jeff Haozous is the great-great-grandson of Chiricahua Apache Chief Mangas Coloradas and the great-great-nephew of Chiricahua Apache Chief Cochise.

He’s a member of the Fort Sill Chiricahua Warm Springs Apache Tribe, whose ancestors were relocated from Arizona in 1886 and held as prisoners for over 27 years before being released in Oklahoma in 1914. Jeff served as the tribe’s chairman in Oklahoma from 2002 to 2018 and moved to the Stronghold in 2021.

Tina Cochise—Board Member

Tina Cochise is the eldest child of the late Silas Cochise, Sr. and the great-great-granddaughter of Chiricahua Apache Chief Cochise.

She is a member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, which includes descendants of Chiricahua Apaches who were relocated from Arizona in 1886, held as prisoners for 27 years, and released onto the Mescalero Apache Reservation in 1913. Tina lives at Mescalero and works at the Inn of the Mountain Gods.