Here, Jessie Durant, a Kutzadika'a Paiute,
uses a winnowing basket to sieve alkali fly
pupae from the water of Mono Lake. “We
had a wholesome and happy life. It was freedom.
There was no sound of cars, just the sound of
rushing, gurgling Rush Creek nearby. We would
awaken in the early dawn to the chirping and
singing of the birds. Many different kinds of
birds made their nests in the bushes and trees
in the meadows. We observed their eggs from
time to time, never disturbing them. And soon
they were out of their nests and on their own.”