Filmed on location at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, Northern Paiute Elder Ralph Burns tells the traditional story of Stone Mother, a tufa rock formation on the east side of the lake, first in Paiute and then in English. This is a restricted sacred site; filming was done with the permission of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. Film maker and folklorist Teri F. Brewer worked with the Nevada Arts Council’s Folklife Program and with tribal member and cultural consultant Ben Aleck, photographer Patrick Wilkes, and Ralph Burns himself on the concept and execution of this film.
Produced in 2012 by Teri Brewer for “Nevada Stories,” Nevada Arts Council
Copyright 2012 by Nevada Arts Council
Web links:
Native American Indians (Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs)
Nevada Arts Council Folklife Program
Ralph Burns: Telling Place: The Stone Mother at Pyramid Lake (Nevada Arts Council)
Stone Mother (Time Immemorial)