Coexisting with nature and living off the land
Human occupation has been documented around the Walker Lake area for at least
the past 11,000 years.
The "Agai Ticcatta" or "trout eaters" were a hunter gather society that lived within the Walker Lake Basin. The food sources were plentiful with various edible plants, seeds, berries, nuts, foul and fish. Furthermore, the diets of the Agai Ticcatta were known to be more varied than that of the modern day Western Society. During this time Walker Lake was named "Agai Pah" or Trout Lake due to the size and abundance of the fish living within the fresh water of the lake.
The Pinyon Pine produced the pine nuts which were a staple food source. Harvesting the nuts in the fall was accompanied by days of ceremony and celebration where the Agai Ticcatta would leave offerings for good health.
The Tule which is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae and is native to freshwater marshes of North America played an important role in the habitat of the Agai Ticcatta. Growing along the shoreline, the plant provided a buffer against the wind and also reduced erosion. Stems and grass were dyed and woven for baskets, bowls, mats, clothing, duck decoys and boats. The grass was even used to construct dwellings which provided warmth in the cold winters.
Most of the Tule was edible with the young shoots eaten raw while other parts like the rhizomes and unripe flower heads were boiled.
Life was good for the Agai Ticcatta and nature provided for most of their needs.
However by the early 1820's existence for the hunter gathers was about to endure drastic changes. Fur trappers and traders, followed by explorers were destined to discover Trout Lake. Soon the lake was to undergo a name change to Walker Lake after the trapper, Joseph Walker.
The arrival of settlers brought even more changes to the area. Water from the Walker River was diverted for agriculture, which diminished the flow of fresh water to the lake.
In 1859 two reservations were established for the Agai Ticcatta or Northern Paiute, one at Walker Lake and the other at Pyramid Lake.
Over time, Agai Pah began its evolution to what is now modern day Walker Lake. An ancient resource that supplied its native people with a plentiful existence has transpired in to a desert legend. Gone is the fishery that was home to the 40 pound Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Gone are the pinyon and junipers that were used up for firewood. Gone are most of the Tules that lined the banks, keeping erosion in check. What remains is a natural lake in the Great Basin Desert in a transitional period where nature continues to adapt.
The following posts on this Walker Lake Blog will be my observations from over the years, as recorded with my camera. This lake has a story to tell and It has been my passion as a nature photographer to document its evolution from season to season. Follow this blog and check back often as I record my photo-explorations of Walker Lake.
For additional reading:
Fiero, Bill, 1986. Geology of the Great Basin. University of Nevada Press, Reno,
Nevada.
Grayson, Donald K, 1993. The Desert’s Past A Natural Prehistory of the Great Basin. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington and London.
Walker River Paiute Tribe, 1975. Walker River Paiutes A Tribal History. University of Utah Printing Service, Salt Lake City, Utah.
The images in this blog are for sale and available in various sizes
With my Nikon and tripod, my goal is to recreate the scene as it appears
in nature, to preserve in a photographic image the awesome, yet
simplistic beauty of the scene that waits around a bend or over a hill.
Sometimes it's a colorful landscape, and many times I'm allowed in the
presence of the numerous creatures that adapt to life in the wild.
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Bonnie Rannald and should not be copied, down-loaded, transferred and
re-created in any way without the express consent, in writing to Bonnie
Rannald.
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