Deep West Video
The mission of Deep West Video and our earlier Ranch Communications program was to tell first-hand stories from the rural West, rooted in the values of life on the land. From 2000-2019, the Western Folklife Center worked with people from throughout the rural West to produce short videos about their lives on the land.
Using the tools of digital communication, these home-made productions are simple yet elegant; they are not glossy and commercial, but from the heart. Each year, from six to eleven videos were created, a few of which are featured here.
Beginning in 2015, the Western Folklife Center placed special focus on working with the students and teachers at the Owyhee Combined School on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in northern Elko County, including the 2017 Tribal Film Translation Project, which harnessed the power of the Deep West Video program to address one of the most critical issues faced by American Indians: the loss of language.
The Western Folklife Center, in partnership with Edge of Discovery, continues to work with students and educators from the Owyhee Combined School on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation to create Stories from Owyhee that are premiered at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering annually. Duck Valley Combined Schools mentors and teaching staff are Dave Baker and Colene Paradise, with Karem Orrego and Carol Dalrymple Edge of Discovery, mentoring/guiding and advising media producers.
You can purchase many of the annual Deep West Videos in the Western Folklife Center Gift Shop. Give us a call toll free 1-888-880-5885 (ext. 234) or775-738-7508x234 to purchase.
Owyhee Stories (2018)
An old cowboy ghost story comes to life in this Deep West Video by 15 year-old storyteller Talliah Hanchor. Hanchor, from Owhyee, Nevada, has been creating videos for the Western Folklife Center's Deep West Video program for several years now, this is her very first feature-styled short film.
A high school sophomore at the Owyhee Combined School in Nevada, Gage Johnson shares the reactions of his grandfather Kalles Hanchor Sr. and great aunt Erma Hanchor to global warming as they talk about growing up in the Marshall Islands, in the heart of the South Pacific Ocean.
In a telling of an old, old story about the Rock People of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, Devin Baker, a descendent of the White Knife People, gives viewer - and visitor - a connection to the rich and unique history of this Nevada landscape.
Lance Owyhee finds inspiration discovering many events that continue to shape the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Owyhee, Nevada, the place he calls home, in an exploration into the area's history. Con-sidered an introductory video, it is the first of a series which Lance hopes to produce.
High schooler Dilan Bill lives downhill from a dam in the remote Western United States. With a rare vantage point of the area gained by experiments with drone photography, he examines the historic 1984 Owyhee Flood and what natural disasters might mean for the residents of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation.
Destiny Max is an Owhyee Combined Schools high school athlete who explores the world of volleyball through her coach's eyes. Hear from Coach Andrea about what it means to be a team, to be dedicated, and to be committed to play for success.
Tribal Translation Project: Shoshone Language Learning
The Tribal Translation Project, led by Shoshone Elder Elena Atkins, is an Owhyee Combined School Shoshone Language Learning series and is part of an effort by the Sho-Pai/Duck Valley Indian Reservation Community to preserve language and stories of the Shoshone-Pauute culture of the Great Basin area. The 2017 series was produced by Colene Paradise and student filmmakers.
More Stories from the Rural West
Rural westerners produce short videos about their lives on the land. This selection premiered at the 2016 National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
Amir Beardsley talks about the challenges of rejoining the rodeo circuit after suffering a serious accident in the ring this past summer. This is Amir's fourth Deep West Video for the Western Folklife Center’s program.
Linda and Carolyn Dufurrena offer this appreciation of the Paiute-Shoshone elders of Fort McDermitt, Nevada. Linda and Carolyn have participated in the Deep West Video program since its inception as Ranch Communications more than a dozen years ago.
Kier Atherton profiles Jeff Patterson, a cowboy and private investigator from Missoula, MT, who says horses have helped him solve at least one case, and also help victims of crime heal from their emotional wounds.
V ~ The Gypsy Cowbelle relives the stagecoach days by joining a modern-day wagon train retracing pioneer routes from the 1800's. V has worked as a ranch hand and performer since 1995, and now hosts children's workshops and historical presentations.
Special thanks to Western Folklife Center donors, and former and current supporters:
Banner image by Jessica Brandi Lifland.
