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Kim Lamb • LVN photo Mike Williams, a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, holds one of his tule duck decoys he made, self-taught in the ancient style.
A local Native American artist renown for his work making tule duck decoys and baskets will be honored at the upcoming Governor's Arts Awards in Las Vegas.
Mike Williams, a relatively new member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, is being recognized for excellence in folk and traditional arts.
Born and raised in Carson City, Williams is now retired.
"Once I retired, the creator showed me this," Williams said.
Mike Williams, a relatively new member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, is being recognized for excellence in folk and traditional arts.
Born and raised in Carson City, Williams is now retired.
"Once I retired, the creator showed me this," Williams said.
When he first became interested in make tule ducks, he visited the museums in Fallon and Carson City. He began his craft by emulating the 2,500-year-old tule ducks found in Lovelock Cave in 1924. Williams said 13 duck decoys were found by miners in the cave, protected from dirt and guano by an overturned basket. Two plain duck decoys, the females, were found on one side of the cave while 11 feathered and painted decoys, the males, were on the other. Looking at the pictures of the decoys, Williams tried his hand at making one.
"There was no one around to teach the ancient styles," Williams said. "I just picked up the materials and did it."
Admittedly, his first decoys were "a little rough," but his skill has progressed over the past eight years. His work now is indistinguishable from the 2,500-year-old model he duplicated.
Williams said he had attended many pow wows around the Great Basin and rarely saw tule duck decoy booths, so he filled the gap and now sets up shop at pow wows and holds demonstrations.
"There was no one around to teach the ancient styles," Williams said. "I just picked up the materials and did it."
Admittedly, his first decoys were "a little rough," but his skill has progressed over the past eight years. His work now is indistinguishable from the 2,500-year-old model he duplicated.
Williams said he had attended many pow wows around the Great Basin and rarely saw tule duck decoy booths, so he filled the gap and now sets up shop at pow wows and holds demonstrations.
When he first began this work, a tribal elder told him to pray and smudge himself before starting his work.
"You have to be in the right frame of mind," Williams said. "If you're not in the right frame of mind, it won't turn out right. Now I can do it with my eyes closed."
Following the spirits and messages in his dreams has led him to find the materials he needs in the desert. For example, he dreamed of Indian hemp growing in a ditch near Schurz. After talking to someone in Schurz, he asked about where to get Indian hemp and was led to the spot he envisioned in his dreams.
"It was like déja vu," he said.
"You have to be in the right frame of mind," Williams said. "If you're not in the right frame of mind, it won't turn out right. Now I can do it with my eyes closed."
Following the spirits and messages in his dreams has led him to find the materials he needs in the desert. For example, he dreamed of Indian hemp growing in a ditch near Schurz. After talking to someone in Schurz, he asked about where to get Indian hemp and was led to the spot he envisioned in his dreams.
"It was like déja vu," he said.
Indian hemp looks like and grows like willow reeds with small-diameter woody stalks. The stalks are shredded and split and rolled to make hemp string, which is used to tie the feathers onto the duck decoys. Williams said it takes about 30 feet of hemp string for one duck decoy.
The body of the ducks are created from tule reeds found right in Stillwater. Williams also uses cat tail leaves found nearby. The red paint on the duck's head is made from red ochre found near Virginia City, and the black paint is created from black resin from pinion pine trees - "just like the ancients used," Williams said.
After he gathers all his materials, it takes him about 10 hours to make a painted and feathered duck, and about four hours for a plain duck. He has recently completed a larger decoy, a swan, after receiving an order. He said the bigger decoys are easier to build, but the little decoys are just as difficult to make as the normal sized ones.
Williams has become the torch-bearer of this ancient art, and is teaching his son, Micah, the art. Both were featured in Nevada Magazine in 2004.
"It has been a big blessing to learn and teach," Williams said. "It's an art that needs to be passed on."
The body of the ducks are created from tule reeds found right in Stillwater. Williams also uses cat tail leaves found nearby. The red paint on the duck's head is made from red ochre found near Virginia City, and the black paint is created from black resin from pinion pine trees - "just like the ancients used," Williams said.
After he gathers all his materials, it takes him about 10 hours to make a painted and feathered duck, and about four hours for a plain duck. He has recently completed a larger decoy, a swan, after receiving an order. He said the bigger decoys are easier to build, but the little decoys are just as difficult to make as the normal sized ones.
Williams has become the torch-bearer of this ancient art, and is teaching his son, Micah, the art. Both were featured in Nevada Magazine in 2004.
"It has been a big blessing to learn and teach," Williams said. "It's an art that needs to be passed on."
