Pyramid Lake Spiritual Healing Center

05/04/2026

This Is Really Happening

Over the past couple of weeks, we had more than 20 people come out to the Healing Center to help.

What I witnessed over those days was really meaningful.

We had people come from different places and different communities. And everyone found their way into the work—groundwork, preparing and pouring concrete for the pathway to the new building, installing sheetrock, tending the land, and bringing native plants into the space.

Whether it was something big or something small, everyone had a hand in it.

And I believe when we feel like we’ve been part of something from the ground up, it means something. It creates a different kind of connection to the space.

For me, the most important thing about this place is that it’s a community space.

It’s for healing, for gathering, for teaching. It’s a space for our local Indigenous Paiute community first, and just as much for the broader community of friends who come to be part of it. It’s something that is meant to be accessible, and something that we want people to feel belongs to all of us.

Seeing the progress over the past couple of weeks, I keep having the same feeling—wow, this is really happening.

The pathway coming together to the new building was a real milestone for me. To see that space take form in a way that’s separate but connected, it makes it feel real in a different way.

I’ve also been watching Dean as all of this unfolds. When people come together like this, there’s something in that which lifts his spirit. That’s been really beautiful to witness.

This has been underway for some time. From clearing the land, to tending it over the past couple of years, and now starting to see things take shape.

I also want to acknowledge Out West Buildings for their support in helping make the building possible. We’re grateful for the way they worked with us to meet our needs and be part of bringing this into form.

So to everyone who came out, who worked, who gave their time—thank you.

There is still more to do. And there are many ways to be part of it—through time, through helping care for the space, through sharing resources, or simply by connecting.

If you feel called, you can reach out to us here: https://www.pyramidlakehealing.org/

Pesa mu,
Nellie

04/15/2026

We’re inviting anyone who wants to come out and help at the Healing Center on April 25–26 in Nixon.

We’ll be working on the community garden and the space around it — simple, hands-on work.

Planting, watering, moving soil, clearing, trimming.

You don’t need experience.
Come for a day or even a few hours.

If you’ve been thinking about coming out or getting involved, this is a good time to do it.

If you’d like to join, let us know here and we’ll send you the details:
https://www.pyramidlakehealing.org/

04/07/2026

We’ve purchased a building for the Pyramid Lake Spiritual Healing Center. It is now on site.

This was made possible by a generous donation from someone who learned from Dean and wanted to support the continuation of his work.

Last year, with community support, we built the walking path to help Dean build strength and connect his home to the sweat lodge, integrated with the developing garden. The building now sits alongside that path, and the next step is visible.

We’ve hosted gatherings here using hired tents. This gives us a permanent space and makes it easier to continue the work in a steady way.

There is still work to do to get it ready, but this is real progress.

Read more here: https://www.pyramidlakehealing.org/posts/a-permanent-step-forward

03/25/2026

A new article featuring Dean was published this week:

Who Controls the West? Prayer on Trial
https://sierranevadaally.org/2026/03/22/who-controls-the-west-prayer-on-trial/

It reflects the role prayer and ceremony play in protecting sacred places and keeping connection to the land alive. This is the work Dean continues to hold.

If you’d like to support Dean, you can:
Share the article
Spend time, help, and learn when you’re able
Support the work financially

Thank you to everyone who continues to stand with him.

Legal battles over Thacker Pass are over—but Paiute elder Dean Barlese’s fight to protect sacred sites goes on.

07/06/2025

Some stories deserve to be told—by the people who lived them.

This summer, Dean Barlese and Mervin Wright are ready to share what they’ve carried: history, memory, and insight rooted in the land and their lived experience. We’re working with Paiute filmmaker Locke Knight to record these stories with care.

Everything is in place—except the last bit of funding.
We’re raising £1,000 to cover filming, travel, and editing.

If you believe in the power of story, and in making space for Indigenous voices to be heard on their own terms, we invite you to support this work:

🎥 Donate here: https://hcb.hackclub.com/donations/start/the-pyramid-lake-spiritual-healing-center
📖 Read more: https://www.pyramidlakehealing.org/posts/help-us-film-dean-and-mervins-stories

It’s not a big production. It’s a quiet act of preservation, led by those whose stories it is to tell.

Thank you for standing with us.

We’re raising £1,000 to support the filming of oral history interviews with Dean Barlese and former tribal chairman Mervin Wright —to take place this summer in Nixon, Nevada.

06/25/2025

Dean’s voice continues to reach further—this podcast is one more way people can hear what he’s carrying.

He speaks about being Two-Spirit in the old ways, the sacredness of Thacker Pass, and the responsibility to protect what’s still living in the land.

“We knew the ancestors were with us, by the little whirlwinds that came up through the road they had built.”

Please give it a listen. And if it feels right, help carry it further by sharing.

The story of a lithium mine in remote northern Nevada, and the two-spirit Paiute elder who fought to stop it.

06/06/2025

🌱 The garden is ready. Dean is walking again. Now we need your help.

We’re looking for volunteers who can spend time in Nixon this summer—helping in the garden and supporting Dean’s continued healing.

No special skills needed. Just steady presence, open hands, and a willingness to learn.

Come plant with us. Walk with us. Be part of what’s growing here.

👉 https://www.pyramidlakehealing.org/posts/volunteer-call-summer-2025

05/05/2025

“We find that, within our native communities, we heal together.”
At the Gathering of the Great Basin, Nellie Davis of the Walker River community shared the intention behind this day: bringing regional tribal communities together. Through seasonal traditions, language, ancestral foods, and origin stories, we created space for healing.
“Even through our differences… we’re able to find that we’re stronger.”

04/12/2025

04/08/2025

Dean Barlese: “My dad said that’s good land. We should make a garden for people to eat healthy food, so our people aren’t so sick with diabetes.”

For generations, the land provided everything we needed—roots, berries, and seeds that kept us healthy. Today, we’re planting a community garden in Nixon to reclaim that connection to health and nurture our community.

This garden is about more than vegetables. It’s about healing—body and spirit. Help us grow a space that reflects the strength and beauty of our people. Donate time, funds, or energy, and be part of something special. 🌱