Fallon man works to keep Paiute Shoshone traditions alive

FALLON - As traditional ways transition among the new generations, Westley Dick, a member of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, hopes to keep a focus on his heritage through his efforts of preserving his ancestors' teachings.

"One of my goals is to keep traditions alive so I can have good answers for my children," he said.

His grandmother was the biggest influence on his life when he was growing up.

"She was over 100 years old when she passed away, and she only went to school through the eighth grade," he said. "She could tell you about your body, she knew about the plants and animals."

His grandmother told him stories about when she was a little girl. They would travel to the east toward Austin to pick pine nuts, hunt deer and bighorn sheep. Then they would go to Pyramid Lake for fish.

"You have to have a variety of food in your diet," he said. "I think that is why the people lived so long back then because they ate fish, ducks, deer and different plants throughout Nevada."

Dick said, the way he was brought up allows him to take part in all the experiences Nevada has to offer.

"A lot of the people in the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe were really knowledgeable in everything. In every generation it is becoming less and less," he said. "There are very few elders today that can tell you about these things because they are going to college, working or the worst part, involved with alcohol or drugs."

He said he has never really had any experiences with alcohol or drugs, citing he was always into the traditional aspect of his culture.

His focus is to talk and encourage people to hunt and pay attention to their environment and their traditions.

Dick said he wants to pass to his children the good experiences which he has learned over his lifetime. He would like other people to realize there are many good things.

"The creator created all good things in life. It's the human, the man who made it bad, it's the good things you get involved in and experience which make you good inside and a whole person," he said. "Right now, it's important to me to help my culture come back to life again."

One way he is keeping tradition alive is by using tule reeds for different applications. The tule plants have a variety of uses throughout their life span and are made up of two parts, the tule stem and cattail.

Dick gathered reeds for duck decoys. His weathered hands carefully bending the reeds, one by one until the semblance of a duck emerged.

He said there are different styles of tule ducks. He concentrates on a basic design because when he sells ducks, it allows him to charge a reasonable fee for his creations.

"Mine are real basic because when I'm selling them, I can't imagine charging somebody $500 for one duck," he said.

According to Dick, there is another Native American in the county who makes very detailed and embellished ducks.

"He goes through a lot of detail so to me it's worth it for him," Dick said.

Dick's tule ducks sell for $30-$180 depending on its complexity. Most are designed for hunting.

"Every time I go hunting, I put my ducks in the water, and they last a long time," he said. "In a pond where I hunt every year, I can put them in the mud and leave it there until the next hunting season, rinse and ring it out just like a sponge and they float."

Sometimes, he will skin a duck and stretch the bird's skin and feathers over the tule duck which makes the decoy appear real.

"I skin the duck just as I would do a deer or a rabbit," he said. "I take all of the fat and the excess meat then usually dry the skin out and hang them up."

If he needs to make a new decoy, Dick puts the skinned duck in water to soak it and make the skin pliable so it will stretch over the tule frame. As it dries, the skin shrinks over the framework for a snug fit.

"There are different ways to attach the skin to the tule body," he said. "You could use greasewood pins, little pieces of wood or sometimes I sew it with thread and needle."

Often, he will connect a group of tule ducks together when hunting which gives the impression the decoys are swimming as the wind moves them in the water.

"Ducks are always looking for a safe place to land, they're always looking for a companion and they mainly see the figure or the silhouette early in the morning," he said.

Dick said he has also made larger bird decoys such as goose and swans.

Prayers are also an important part of gathering the reeds.

"I give an offering when I pick a plant," he said. "I will leave a couple of coins, beads or tobacco and make a little prayer for the plant to say thank you."

Dick said he also asks the Creator, God, to protect him and to help him be strong. He prays for his family and his people so they can carry on.

"There is a spiritual part. It's not just taking something, using it and abusing it," he said. "I'm thankful for what I have."