Sandra Rambler, San Carlos Apache activist, journalist and mother, dies at 69

Sandra Rambler, a longtime San Carlos Apache activist, journalist and council secretary, died Aug. 20. She was 69.

Rambler was known throughout Indian Country and the environmental community for her activism in water and land protection, such as the “Save Oak Flat” movement. She was passionate about preserving the Apache language and culture, and her weekly column on Apache traditionalism was popular throughout Apache communities.

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Rambler was the only sister in a family of 11 siblings, including her brother, San Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler. The kids grew up on a diet of rabbit, fish, quail and the ever-present acorn.

In 1968, Rambler and her brothers were sent to the Mormon Indian Placement Program by her grandmother, Ada Rope, an Apache speaker who felt the children should learn how to live in the wider world. Rambler moved from her one-bedroom home in Bylas to a five-bedroom house in California. It was the first time she had ever had her own bed, an experience she later related as “amazing.”

She learned to play the piano and cared for the family horses.

Rambler also fell in love with the written word and wrote in journals and planners every day for nearly the rest of her life.

After her time in the placement program, Rambler returned to Bylas. She held a part-time job while attending Fort Thomas High School.

“She would use her earnings to help my brother and I with school clothes and spending money for sports and field trips,” Terry Rambler said. “She always looked after us.”

Rambler also became Miss San Carlos Apache while in high school. She later ran for Miss Indian Arizona, winning the title of first runner-up, and later won the title of Miss Brigham Young University while attending that school on a full-ride scholarship.

Journalist, mother, tribal secretary and fashionista

That love of writing led Rambler to follow in her mother Audrey Jordan’s footprints as a journalist. She served as editor of the Apache Moccasin, a community newspaper, and wrote a long-time column, “Traditionally Speaking.”

Rambler also wrote for other newspapers and magazines, and reached audiences worldwide.

That ability to turn a phrase served her well over the years as tribal secretary to five tribal chairmen and in other roles with two other administrations in a 46-year career with the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

While serving in various roles with the tribe and running the Apache Moccasin, Rambler also raised seven children.

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She was known around the San Carlos community as a fashionista, always sporting beautifully crafted camp dresses, jewelry made by her own hand and hair often done up in a perfect bun.

Rambler is best known for her work as a water and land protector. She marched alongside Fort McDowell Yavapais to commemorate the small tribe’s defeat of a dam that would have drowned three-quarters of its land base.

Rambler was also a member of Ola Cassadore Davis’ Apache Survival Coalition, said local environmentalist Carolina Butler, who remembered Rambler as a “gutsy, courageous, remarkable Apache woman.”

Rambler was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the National Indian Advisory Council from 1993 to 2001. She spoke about issues affecting Indian Country, ranging from health care and infrastructure to education, land and water protection and environmental issues.

She also worked with many national organizations and met a number of U.S. presidents and vice presidents. She rubbed elbows with celebrities such as Ray Charles, Nelly and Mike Tyson. Rambler appeared in movies and translated and transcribed the Apache language for actors.

Oak Flat protector

Rambler was one of the first members of Apache Stronghold, the grassroots group that has long opposed a copper mine that would obliterate Oak Flat Campground, a site held sacred by Apache people and culturally significant to several other tribes in the region.

Vanessa Nosie, the daughter of Apache Stronghold head Wendsler Nosie, said Rambler was a frequent visitor to her home to meet with her dad.

“They talked for hours, sharing ideas, goals, and most importantly, prayer,” she said.

Nosie said Rambler taught her to use her voice to protect her children and stand up for her people and way of life.

“She told me that someday I would have to take her spot, and she would teach me,” Nosie said.

Rambler was frequently seen at Wendsler Nosie’s side, supporting his and Apache Stronghold’s efforts to preserve Oak Flat and the Apache way of life. In her work, she was interviewed by media outlets in Germany, Mexico and Australia.

Rambler continued advocating for the preservation of Oak Flat almost until her dying day. Shortly before her death, Rambler was giving The Arizona Republic news tips about the latest doings surrounding the long-time struggle over one of the Apache peoples’ most sacred places.

In a statement released by the Rambler family, Rambler was remembered for her heart of gold, deep connection to Mother Earth and dedication to the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

San Carlos Vice Chairman Tao Etpison said, “Through Sandra’s influential weekly column, she preserved Apache history, honored those we lost, and united our community in culture and spirit. Her courage, activism, and motherly love will always remain in our hearts.”

“My sister had such a big heart,” Terry Rambler said. “I will miss her and I will live my life in a way that will bring us closer together.”

Rambler is survived by her children, Tanayia, Lola, Shera, Culbert, Terra, Kristi and Desirae, and by many cousin sisters (a term for cousins who become as close as sisters), grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other family members.

Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @debkrol and on Bluesky at @debkrol.bsky.social‬.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sandra Rambler, San Carlos Apache activist, journalist and mother, dies at 69

Reporting by Debra Utacia Krol, Arizona Republic / Arizona Republic