Burners & the Pyramid Lake Paiutes: Time to Renew Respect

[some seeing eye]

Burners can be a wild bunch. In past years about 30% have been virgins to be brought into the culture, though that is on a slight decline. Old burners can have bad habits too.

We may have BRC and definitely the TAZ in 2021. 447 from Wadsworth is the most common route to the playa, from memory, about 85-90% of vehicles in a good year, with the balance from Cedarville.

Herding burners is like herding cats, but bad burner behavior on the Pyramid Lake Paiute land could end the event. We will most likely have a new native Secretary of the Interior, New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland a Native American of the Laguna Pueblo.

It's timely, with the black lives matter equality movement sensibility extending to Native Americans.

Indians are gaining power, economically and politically. What we want is for the Paiutes to love us, and the event, because every single burner behaves well.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/2 ... and-470979

[Token]

What I really want to know is if Paiute is already plural and adding the “s” is superfluous.

That right there would be a real good starting point.

.

[Popeye]

On here and on FB I hear mostly concern that the Paiutes don't want us to drive past them to BRC, but most of these posts are from people who are not Paiute. I'd like to hear from the Paiute nation, not an individual. Does our driving by their land really increase the risk of Covid? I wonder how we can transmit Covid to them if we don't stop. The only thing I can think of that we might have to stop for is gas.

[some seeing eye]

What I really want to know is if Paiute is already plural and adding the “s” is superfluous.

Hahaha, good point. It could be self plural in post-1492 American English.

Here is an implied question, with no BRC, just a TAZ, 2020-2021 who is responsible for bad TAZ participant behavior impacting the neighborhood? Guess TAZ1 was pretty LNT. TAZ2+ maybe not.

[gaminwench]

I suspect that the main issue is that we clog up the road with slow vehicles for days on end.

[XPTom]

.....hear mostly concern that the Paiutes don't want us to drive past them to BRC......

Maybe the drive from BRC?

[gaminwench]

If one is making a trash site, one should manage the trash site.

[Dr. Pyro]

I've never yet met a Paiute who didn't appreciate me stopping going to and from BRC to buy a half dozen Indian Tacos for me and my mates.

[Jackass]

I've never yet met a Paiute who didn't appreciate me stopping going to and from BRC to buy a half dozen Indian Tacos for me and my mates.

Me neither, it's a HUGE influx of cash into their economies that would otherwise NEVER happen.

And on the earlier point of the trash dump... If one is operating a trash disposal site, the best thing they would hope for would be huge piles of trash being brought to them daily. Otherwise referred to as revenue, the more the better for the operator of such an establishment.

[FlyingMonkey]

It's timely, with the black lives matter equality Equity movement sensibility extending to Native Americans.

Indians are gaining power, economically and politically. What we want is for the Paiutes to love us, and the event, because every single burner behaves well.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/2 ... and-470979

Fixed that for you. Never before have words mattered more.

I totally agree with you while I completely disagree with you.

I think your motivation is disingenuous. We should respect the Tribe and their land whether they are gaining power or have none. That respect should extend to every community we travel through. LNT should go from your driveway to the Playa & back to your driveway.

You will never be able to get "all Burners" to act responsibly & to be honest I think each year fewer attendees are "Burners" anyway. I don't think attending an event makes you a Burner. I think being part of the community & embracing it's values makes you a Burner.

Every year the first 10 miles along exodus looks like the aftermath of Electric Forest & that's what the general public judges us by (and I can't say they're wrong). I do agree that public perception is a real danger to the event. I don't know if highway clean up is part of the post event clean up but if it isn't it should be. Once I'm retired I'd sign up for that detail but to be honest I can't afford that time commitment now.

- Paiute is plural as it is the name of the tribe.

And YES, Indian Taco's. (Is it disrespectful to call them Indian Tacos? I've never had one with curry - Just say'n)

[Jackass]

They clean the road side debris all the way back to I-80 and north toward Oregon for a distance, if I'm not mistaken. I could be.

[some seeing eye]

I've never yet met a Paiute who didn't appreciate me stopping going to and from BRC to buy a half dozen Indian Tacos for me and my mates.

Exactly. It is an opportunity to have a conversation. What is going on in your neighborhood? How is your family? How are things changing? What do you think of all these people? What can be improved? What's good?

Like on the playa, smile, wait for a response, connect, ask open ended questions.

I come from the North, but do that in Cedarville, and points North and when traveling anywhere. I also dress in culturally appropriate clothing when traveling outside the city, though the roads to the burn, burn time, people you meet are more tolerant, even amused!

[FlyingMonkey]

I've never yet met a Paiute who didn't appreciate me stopping going to and from BRC to buy a half dozen Indian Tacos for me and my mates.

Exactly. It is an opportunity to have a conversation. What is going on in your neighborhood? How is your family? How are things changing? What do you think of all these people? What can be improved? What's good?

Like on the playa, smile, wait for a response, connect, ask open ended questions.

I come from the North, but do that in Cedarville, and points North and when traveling anywhere. I also dress in culturally appropriate clothing when traveling outside the city, though the roads to the burn, burn time, people you meet are more tolerant, even amused!

In 2019 my transmission failed about 1/2 way to the Playa. We ended up spending a whole day at a dealership in Montana (so much for early entry). While we were waiting we started talking to the folks working there & when they found out we were going to Burning Man they got all excited & started asking a lot of questions. We had to dispel some myths but overall I think we were pretty good ambassadors for the event. By the time we left we had a mechanic who really wanted to go.

Being good people & treating others with respect goes a long way when they know you're a Burner.

And yes, had we been wearing lace tutu's and acting like jerks the outcome would have been completely different.

[some seeing eye]

In 2019 my transmission failed about 1/2 way to the Playa...

Though we may differ on some things, your experience is a perfect example of burner culture values!

Personally I try to support local business in Oakridge, Oregon on my BRC travels. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/us/20poverty.html

Any other burner stories on connecting to or intentionally supporting local communities we travel by?

[ygmir]

They clean the road side debris all the way back to I-80 and north toward Oregon for a distance, if I'm not mistaken. I could be.

The ORG pays them, and others, to clean as you describe. I know there are plenty of volunteers, too.
That said, there is still plenty of garbage along the road, year round, but it's cleanest in the month or so after TTITD.
I work pre and post event, so see it build and then decline.
For some to somehow think 80K humans will be "leave no trace" is silly. Sure, many do their best, but reality is even the most well secured loads, will have a candy wrapper, tissue, or drops of oil, fall and leak as they travel. Multiply that by thousands.