People of the Marsh

The third in a series of UNOHP documentaries featuring Nevada Indian cultures, People of the Marsh was filmed with the participation and cooperation of members of the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe. The video addresses life in the Stillwater area of northern Nevada.
    The marshy terrain of the Carson Sink was long inhabited by a band of Northern Paiute people who were joined by a small number of Western Shoshones early in the twentieth century. People of the Marsh features stories and recollections by four tribal members who share their knowledge of a vibrant past and the lifeways that sustained the people. Filmed on location in the Carson Sink, the documentary also uses archival film footage and photographs to provide context for understanding the changes and adaptations caused by the intrusion of thousands of Euro-American emigrants and settlers into their territory.
    The video's premiere showing, March 21, 2005 at the Fallon Paiute Shoshone administration building, drew a large crowd of over seventy audience members. Tim Findley, writing in the Nuhmuh News, noted, "The production quality of People of the Marsh is superb. Artistic camerawork and direction coupled with state of the art editing create a clean, polished and appealing vehicle to carry the speakers' information."
    The UNOHP began working collaboratively on the project in 2002 with the staff at the university's Teaching and Learning Technologies Department (TLT). The UNOHP's director, Tom King, served as executive producer for the documentary, with JoAnne Peden producing and Mark Gandolfo (TLT's manager of media design and production) directing. The work was supported by a gift from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust with additional funding provided by the Sven and Astrid Liljeblad Endowment Fund.
    An excerpt from this film is available in an online video gallery sponsored by the university's Teaching and Learning Technologies Department. Click here to view.

People of the Marsh. Reno: UNOHP, 2005. Runtime of 34 minutes, available in both VHS and DVD formats.