Post by Okwes on Oct 31, 2006 11:03:06 GMT -5
Tradition guides occupation of Fallon Paiute tribe member
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/26/2006
[Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name Kwassuh,
removes hair from a deer hiden that he is in the process of tanning. He
uses the hide to create numerous Native American items ranging from
drums to clothing.]
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&IDato=\
20061026&IKategori=NEWS15&ID=610260330&rgj_caption=Wesley%20dick%20of%20\
Stillwater%2C%20who%20goes%20by%20the%20Paiute%20name%20Kwassuh%2C%20rem\
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Native%20American%20items%20ranging%20from%20drums%20to%20clothing.&cach\
etime=0> Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name
Kwassuh, removes hair from a deer hiden that he is in the process of
tanning. He uses the hide to create numerous Native American items
ranging from drums to clothing.
[Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name Kwassuh, holds
an elk skin that he is in the process of tanning. He uses the skin and
leather for numerous Native American items ranging from drums to
clothing.] Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name
Kwassuh, holds an elk skin that he is in the process of tanning. He uses
the skin and leather for numerous Native American items ranging from
drums to clothing.
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&Site=J\
7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V1&Profile=1010&rgj_\
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7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V2&Profile=1010&rgj_\
caption=&rgj_credit=Provided%20to%20the%20Reno%20Gazette-Journal&cacheti\
me=0>
[These American Indian crafts were hand made by Stillwater's Wesley
dick and his wife, Elizabeth. All the leather pieces are from deer, elk
and antelope hides that he has tanned using traditional techniques.]
These American Indian crafts were hand made by Stillwater's Wesley dick
and his wife, Elizabeth. All the leather pieces are from deer, elk and
antelope hides that he has tanned using traditional techniques.
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&Site=J\
7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V3&Profile=1010&rgj_\
caption=These%20American%20Indian%20crafts%20were%20hand%20made%20by%20S\
tillwater%27s%20Wesley%20dick%20and%20his%20wife%2C%20Elizabeth.%20All%2\
0the%20leather%20pieces%20are%20from%20deer%2C%20elk%20and%20antelope%20\
hides%20that%20he%20has%20tanned%20using%20traditional%20techniques.&rgj\
_credit=Guy%20Clifton%20%2F%20RGJ&cachetime=0>
DETAILS
Successful deer, elk or antelope hunters who want to have their animal
skinned, or who would like to get rid of an unwanted hide, can contact
Wesley dick at 775-291-9772 or 775-423-3774.
When Wesley dick goes to work, he can feel a thousand years of tradition
guiding his every move.
dick, a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Indian Tribe who prefers to
go by his Paiute name, Kwassuh, takes deer hides and turns them into
ceremonial clothing and works of art.
"Even as a young boy, I knew the importance of culture," the 41-year-old
Kwassuh said. "My grandmother talked to me about a lot of things. When I
was growing up, I started to get into hunting."
Hunting with older members of his tribe and other tribes in Nevada, he
heard their stories of the past around the campfires at night.
He remembered giving the hides of the deer he had taken to elders so
they could tan them and use the resulting rawhide or leather to create
Native American drums or moccasins or ropes or a hundred other things.
"One of the last elders I donated to was a guy at Pyramid Lake and he
produced a lot of hides," Kwassuh said. "He passed away maybe 10 or 15
years ago. When he passed away, I noticed there wasn't anybody doing
hides."
That eventually led Kwassuh to try the trade himself.
"I started trying it from memory and there was quite a few times I made
mistakes," he said. "And then all of a sudden, I did one hide, and I did
another one and I made fewer mistakes, and throughout time I learned."
Today, he is a master of the craft, tanning hides and making items for
children and adults. His workshop is his backyard. When the weather is
too cold, he moves inside a small shed with a wood stove for heat.
One of the biggest challenges he has every year, he said, is collecting
enough deer hides to keep up with demand. He offers a service to
successful deer hunters in which he will pick up any unwanted hides or
he will skin the deer for the hunters. Still, most hunters either don't
know about his service, or find out too late.
"Every year, it's the same thing," he said. "People say, 'Oh, I just
threw away a hide.'"
Kwassuh said, ideally, he would like to collect between 200 and 300
hides each season. That number is only a fraction of the deer harvested
by hunters in the state each year.
Chris Healy of the Nevada Division of Wildlife said the state issued
15,383 deer tags in 2006. While not all hunters will be successful,
several thousand deer are killed during the hunting season.
Kwassuh said with each hide he gets, he can help 30 people. It might be
an elder in need of a rawhide string or a child in need of a dress for
dancing at powwows.
"I think one of the best rewards I get out of it is being able to help
people out," he said.
He recalled a young girl from Schurz, who was preparing for her first
dance several years ago. He made her a pair of moccasins and also gave
her a fan made with goose feathers. Every year at powwows, she makes a
point of thanking him again.
"I love being at powwows, and I see a pair of my moccasins here and
another pair there," he said. "A lot of those kids remember me."
Tanning hides is no easy process, Kwassuh said. It takes time, skill and
patience. It's definitely not a 9-to-5 type job.
"When you're really close to completion of a hide, you have to keep
going until it's finished," he said. "There's a lot of times I'm getting
done when the sun is coming up."
Still, he said, doing the work is a spiritual experience that helps him
communicate with God and animals.
"There's a lot of prayers involved in what I'm doing," he said. "I'm
very spiritual. That's one of the things I learned, if you keep on the
good side of things, it comes back to you. I've helped numerous peoples
from children to adults to elders."
In the process of tanning the hides, he also keeps alive a tradition
that has been part of his American Indian heritage for generations.
"One of the best things I can do is to keep this alive," he said. "If I
can help teach other Indian people, it kind of comes alive again and
blooms. It reminds me of a plant."
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 10/26/2006
[Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name Kwassuh,
removes hair from a deer hiden that he is in the process of tanning. He
uses the hide to create numerous Native American items ranging from
drums to clothing.]
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&IDato=\
20061026&IKategori=NEWS15&ID=610260330&rgj_caption=Wesley%20dick%20of%20\
Stillwater%2C%20who%20goes%20by%20the%20Paiute%20name%20Kwassuh%2C%20rem\
oves%20hair%20from%20a%20deer%20hiden%20that%20he%20is%20in%20the%20proc\
ess%20of%20tanning.%20He%20uses%20the%20hide%20to%20create%20numerous%20\
Native%20American%20items%20ranging%20from%20drums%20to%20clothing.&cach\
etime=0> Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name
Kwassuh, removes hair from a deer hiden that he is in the process of
tanning. He uses the hide to create numerous Native American items
ranging from drums to clothing.
[Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name Kwassuh, holds
an elk skin that he is in the process of tanning. He uses the skin and
leather for numerous Native American items ranging from drums to
clothing.] Wesley dick of Stillwater, who goes by the Paiute name
Kwassuh, holds an elk skin that he is in the process of tanning. He uses
the skin and leather for numerous Native American items ranging from
drums to clothing.
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&Site=J\
7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V1&Profile=1010&rgj_\
caption=Wesley%20dick%20of%20Stillwater%2C%20who%20goes%20by%20the%20Pai\
ute%20name%20Kwassuh%2C%20holds%20an%20elk%20skin%20that%20he%20is%20in%\
20the%20process%20of%20tanning.%20He%20uses%20the%20skin%20and%20leather\
%20for%20numerous%20Native%20American%20items%20ranging%20from%20drums%2\
0to%20clothing.&rgj_credit=Guy%20Clifton%20%2F%20RGJ&cachetime=0>
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&Site=J\
7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V2&Profile=1010&rgj_\
caption=&rgj_credit=Provided%20to%20the%20Reno%20Gazette-Journal&cacheti\
me=0>
[These American Indian crafts were hand made by Stillwater's Wesley
dick and his wife, Elizabeth. All the leather pieces are from deer, elk
and antelope hides that he has tanned using traditional techniques.]
These American Indian crafts were hand made by Stillwater's Wesley dick
and his wife, Elizabeth. All the leather pieces are from deer, elk and
antelope hides that he has tanned using traditional techniques.
<http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?url=/misc/zoompicture.pbs&Site=J\
7&Date=20061026&Category=NEWS15&ArtNo=610260330&Ref=V3&Profile=1010&rgj_\
caption=These%20American%20Indian%20crafts%20were%20hand%20made%20by%20S\
tillwater%27s%20Wesley%20dick%20and%20his%20wife%2C%20Elizabeth.%20All%2\
0the%20leather%20pieces%20are%20from%20deer%2C%20elk%20and%20antelope%20\
hides%20that%20he%20has%20tanned%20using%20traditional%20techniques.&rgj\
_credit=Guy%20Clifton%20%2F%20RGJ&cachetime=0>
DETAILS
Successful deer, elk or antelope hunters who want to have their animal
skinned, or who would like to get rid of an unwanted hide, can contact
Wesley dick at 775-291-9772 or 775-423-3774.
When Wesley dick goes to work, he can feel a thousand years of tradition
guiding his every move.
dick, a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Indian Tribe who prefers to
go by his Paiute name, Kwassuh, takes deer hides and turns them into
ceremonial clothing and works of art.
"Even as a young boy, I knew the importance of culture," the 41-year-old
Kwassuh said. "My grandmother talked to me about a lot of things. When I
was growing up, I started to get into hunting."
Hunting with older members of his tribe and other tribes in Nevada, he
heard their stories of the past around the campfires at night.
He remembered giving the hides of the deer he had taken to elders so
they could tan them and use the resulting rawhide or leather to create
Native American drums or moccasins or ropes or a hundred other things.
"One of the last elders I donated to was a guy at Pyramid Lake and he
produced a lot of hides," Kwassuh said. "He passed away maybe 10 or 15
years ago. When he passed away, I noticed there wasn't anybody doing
hides."
That eventually led Kwassuh to try the trade himself.
"I started trying it from memory and there was quite a few times I made
mistakes," he said. "And then all of a sudden, I did one hide, and I did
another one and I made fewer mistakes, and throughout time I learned."
Today, he is a master of the craft, tanning hides and making items for
children and adults. His workshop is his backyard. When the weather is
too cold, he moves inside a small shed with a wood stove for heat.
One of the biggest challenges he has every year, he said, is collecting
enough deer hides to keep up with demand. He offers a service to
successful deer hunters in which he will pick up any unwanted hides or
he will skin the deer for the hunters. Still, most hunters either don't
know about his service, or find out too late.
"Every year, it's the same thing," he said. "People say, 'Oh, I just
threw away a hide.'"
Kwassuh said, ideally, he would like to collect between 200 and 300
hides each season. That number is only a fraction of the deer harvested
by hunters in the state each year.
Chris Healy of the Nevada Division of Wildlife said the state issued
15,383 deer tags in 2006. While not all hunters will be successful,
several thousand deer are killed during the hunting season.
Kwassuh said with each hide he gets, he can help 30 people. It might be
an elder in need of a rawhide string or a child in need of a dress for
dancing at powwows.
"I think one of the best rewards I get out of it is being able to help
people out," he said.
He recalled a young girl from Schurz, who was preparing for her first
dance several years ago. He made her a pair of moccasins and also gave
her a fan made with goose feathers. Every year at powwows, she makes a
point of thanking him again.
"I love being at powwows, and I see a pair of my moccasins here and
another pair there," he said. "A lot of those kids remember me."
Tanning hides is no easy process, Kwassuh said. It takes time, skill and
patience. It's definitely not a 9-to-5 type job.
"When you're really close to completion of a hide, you have to keep
going until it's finished," he said. "There's a lot of times I'm getting
done when the sun is coming up."
Still, he said, doing the work is a spiritual experience that helps him
communicate with God and animals.
"There's a lot of prayers involved in what I'm doing," he said. "I'm
very spiritual. That's one of the things I learned, if you keep on the
good side of things, it comes back to you. I've helped numerous peoples
from children to adults to elders."
In the process of tanning the hides, he also keeps alive a tradition
that has been part of his American Indian heritage for generations.
"One of the best things I can do is to keep this alive," he said. "If I
can help teach other Indian people, it kind of comes alive again and
blooms. It reminds me of a plant."