Wá:šiw Zulšiš Gum T'anu 'Washoe Warrior Society' Board Members and executive director Lisa Grayshield kicked off the Mountain Lotus Speaker Series in Truckee on Sunday, January 18th. Sierra Sun reporters covered the event here.
Petra Molina/Sierra Sun
Mountain Lotus Speaker Series for 2026
KUNR Public Radio | By Kat Fulwider
Published December 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM PST. Listen to the radio story here:
In Loving Memory of My Father, Frank Grayshield (April 10, 1942 – November 3, 2025)
On the eve of November 3, my father, Frank Grayshield, passed away peacefully in his sleep, in his own bed, beside his lifelong partner and wife, Clenta Grayshield.
He is survived by my mother Clenta, his children Robin, Adrian, and me (Lisa), seven grandchildren — Gabrielle, Adrianne, Tiva, Raven, Aaron, Talon, and Taylor — and nine great-grandchildren who will carry his spirit forward.
My dad was a true community man. He cared deeply for our people and dedicated his life to service. He served on the Carson Colony Community Council, was President of the Washoe Warrior Society, and founded the Frank Grayshield Memorial Scholarship, which has helped so many Washoe members and descendants pursue higher education. His legacy will continue to live on through this scholarship and through all those he inspired.
He was a veteran, a retired community health worker, and a beloved father, husband, and elder. He carried the burdens of colonization in his own body — diabetes, high blood pressure, and more — yet he never stopped dreaming of a healthier, united community. His vision for building a People’s House — a space of healing, spirit, and connection for the Washoe people — will live on through all of us who continue his work.
In his elder years, my father began to relearn and speak our language. Even when his words came slowly, he spoke prayers with courage and love. He showed us all that you’re never too old to learn and never too old to come home to who you are.
My father will forever live in our hearts — a warrior, a teacher, and a man who brought people together. His presence will be deeply missed, but his vision will continue to guide us.
Rest in peace, Dad. We will carry your dream forward with love, strength, and gratitude.
By Kat Fulwider
Frank Grayshield, Retired Public Health Educator and Washoe Elder Sees a Way Forward for Community Healing
On a snowy March evening, cedar and pine smoke escape the Grayshield home’s chimney, dancing with the winter air of the Carson Indian Colony. Cedar is offered to the flames with prayers as the embers nestled in the Iron Wood Stove heat the Grayshield home. Inside, Frank Grayshield is seated at his dining room table, surrounded by traditional Washoe cradleboards, portraits of his ancestors, colorful Kachina dolls, and artifacts from tribes around the US and beyond. It is clear that family, community, and cultural heritage are at the center of this Washoe Elder’s world.
At 80 years old, Frank Grayshield is an elected Community Council Member of the Carson Indian Colony, a Navy veteran, an Indigenous lands activist, and a retired public health educator for the Indian Health Services. Standing well over six feet tall, he emanates a strong presence and a warm strength. As he speaks, his stoic demeanor is broken with jolly smiles and grand gestures.
When asked about who he is, Grayshield begins by introducing the people he came from. “My background is from three different tribes: My grandmother spoke Paiute, my grandfather spoke Quechan, and my dad spoke Washoe, from here [Carson Indian Colony].”
Grayshield told the stories of the people who came before him as an extension of himself. One could not know him without first knowing the strength of his mother and father, and his grandparents who endured the Stewart and Phoenix Indian Boarding schools. “When you talk about my life, my life seems to have come forward from a lot of those things that happened and affected a lot of the Indian people, like The Boarding School system, and then it affected me,” explains Grayshield.
In these government-mandated Boarding Schools, his ancestors were forbidden to speak their native languages or engage in their traditional customs. They were stolen from their families and forced to change their names to white names and their last names to that of US Presidents, surplanting their identity with a “white” one. This cultural genocide that is colonization happened for generations. So before answering the question of ‘Who are you?’, Grayshield first insisted on examining necessary history for context - bringing the past into the light.
“The whole thing [boarding school system] was to assimilate the Indian people into the alien world. Because everything is alien for Indian people who are here. Everything that was coming at us was to assimilate us into the alien world. That had a devastating effect on Indian tribes because the policy at that time was to get the kids. Every kid goes to school. Take them wherever, and send them away. They spend years away from their families and they’re not bonding with their family so there’s a whole breakdown in that social structure.”
Grayshield went on to talk about the paramount importance of family structure and connection to cultural identity in order to have a healthy community. Highly educated and articulate, it is no surprise that he received a bachelor's in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from the Northern Arizona University and then his Masters of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.
Throughout his career as a Public Health Educator, Grayshield has served on various Indian Colonies and Territories around the US. His home gives a glimpse into his lived experience; colorful Kachina figurines are at home in a display case in his dining room, speaking to his time spent on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Personal experiences combined with his expertise, have garnered him a powerful perspective on how generational trauma has - and continues to - impact Native American people.
He has witnessed the chronic illnesses of Diabetes, heart disease, alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness become all too common in the Native American population. Not only does he have a professional connection to these illnesses, but also a personal one. “Almost every member of Frank’s family had diabetes. And that's what is happening to Native Americans today,” said Clinta Grayshield, Frank’s wife. “Oftentimes what happens is, it's not ‘are we going to have it, it's when are we going to have it?; that is unless we take control of our own Heath, stop eating the colonizers' foods and using pharmaceuticals. We all know it’s time to embrace food sovereignty- a return to traditional and traditional-like foods; this is the only way we are going to regain our health as a people” Frank’s daughter, Lisa Grayshield, Ph.D. stated.
Today, Frank has advanced Diabetes and attends dialysis multiple times a week. He wears a green knit cap upon his newly shaven head, which until recently, was adorned with long hair. When he began dialysis he shaved his head, which he alludes is symbolic of him entering the last stage of his life. He speaks matter-of-factly about his own mortality and what he wants to accomplish with his ‘few years left.’ It was this realization of finality that inspired Frank to run for and obtain the Community Council Member position in November of 2022. “It is my last stand to make a difference in politics…That is why I am putting my spear in the ground and said, well this is where I’m going to make my last stand, right now.”
Frank traveled for much of his career as a Public Health Educator, but when he returned to the Carson Indian Colony in 2004 he saw an illness manifesting in a new form. The youth, the tribe’s future, were losing respect for their culture, their people, their elders, and the land. They were getting involved with drugs and gang violence and bringing those things back to the community.
With his background in psychology, sociology, and public health education, he knew that the violent and addictive behaviors were stemming from a place of disconnection from themselves and their community. “They had lost touch with the very essence of who Indian people are. And it is tied into our spiritual understanding of who we are in our beliefs. We are one with the Creator. And we weren’t teaching our kids the basic things, of harmony and balance, how to live together, respect for elders, respect for the warriors, because they protect the community, they protect the village, they protect the people… And so how do we bring that back?”
In 2009 Frank, along with a group of Washoe elders founded the Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu (WZGT) or Washoe Warriors’ Society. Frank is now the president of the WZGT, which aims to help people heal by reconnecting them with their traditions and heritage. Frank explains “When you know yourself, you can heal the community.”
The Washoe Warriors’ Society's mission statement is as follows:
“Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn–Nu is committed to create, promote and mentor leadership and healthy lifestyles for the Washoe people and thier families. We are committed to demonstrate respect to everyone who wants to join this goom tahn-nu (society). We are committed to instill respect for the land, the water and the animals who dwell on the land. Our land contains our history, our legends and the wild plants and animals that once fed us. The land contains our medicine as well as our traditional food. Native People have always protected and preserved their land and water.” -- WZGT Board of Directors, 2021
The Washoe Warrior’s Society has the vision of building Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal (The People's House) near the traditional homelands of Da’oh aga (Lake Tahoe.) It will serve as a gathering place to collectively heal the wounds of generational trauma by reconnecting with Washoe traditions and ceremonies, strengthening the connection with the land, and speaking the Washoe Language. “There are only five fluent Washoe speakers left,” Frank said earnestly. “We need to create a sacred place, a respected place that everybody who goes into understands what it's there for. And that's important because we [the Washoe] are like a fire. We're down to the embers; we can blow on them and bring it back and start a fire again. We want to create that place. We want to take those embers that we have left.”
Thanks to the incredible generosity of 46 donors, we surpassed our $5,000 goal. Your contributions allowed us to award scholarships to five amazing Washoe college students and provide small stipends to youth helpers who volunteered their time during our 33rd Annual Washoe Native American Arts Festival and Basket Competition at Meeks Bay Resort.
The Frank Grayshield Washoe Youth Scholarship honors the life and work of Frank Grayshield — a veteran, retired Indian Health Service worker, UC Berkeley public health graduate, former WZGT Board Chair, and current Carson Community Council member. A beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Frank has inspired generations with his commitment to education, family, and service, alongside his wife, Clenta.
Aspen graduated from Western Nevada Community College, where she served as president of the Native Student Association. She is now a third-year Art major at the University of Nevada, Reno, and a talented artist whose work reflects Wá∙šiw culture and values. We, the WZGT Board of Directors, are proud to present Aspen with this $1,000 […]
Itmahawa achieved a 3.0 GPA in her first semester at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she is majoring in Business Management and minoring in Native American Politics. Her plan upon graduation is to return home to pursue a leadership role, following in the footsteps of her great-aunt Wanda Batchelor — the first Chairwoman […]
Destiny is a culinary student in Hilo, Hawai‘i, dedicated to preparing food that nourishes both body and spirit — embodying the belief that “food is medicine.” Her dream is to return home after completing her education to open a restaurant that will bring the community together through healthy, traditional, and inspired meals. We are proud […]
Kolbie is a first-year student at Western Nevada College, an artist and beader who loves plants, animals, and the Earth. Still exploring her academic and creative path, Kolbie’s curiosity and love for learning promise an exciting journey ahead. We, the WZGT Board of Directors, are proud to present Kolbie with this $1,000 scholarship to support […]
Ellorie is a nursing student at Unitek College, set to graduate this December. Her commitment to community care, health, and service inspires us all. We are proud to award Ellorie a $1,000 scholarship in recognition of her dedication and perseverance, and we can’t wait to celebrate her graduation later this year.
To all of our donors, the WZGT Board, and our Scholarship Committee — thank you. Your support not only helps our students reach their educational goals but also strengthens our entire community.
We look forward to sharing updates from this year’s recipients and youth leaders as they continue their journeys. Stay tuned for individual stories in the coming weeks!
Want to help us continue supporting Washoe youth? Learn more about Youth Programs and how you can get involved here: Youth Programs
Washoe Warrior Society
E-mail: wzgtmail@gmail.com Webpage: wzgt.org
10-2-2024
Greetings Washoe Tribe Community Members Especially Youth: This is an open letter from Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu (WZGT) to Washoe Tribe community members, especially the youth and future council members.
We are grateful for the support of the Tribal Council, entrusting us with the confidence to take this first initial step towards reigniting the WCC project. A dream that was started decades ago by those that walked before us, such as Joanne and Teressa Smokey, whose faded photograph is still visible on the large wooden sign that marks the land dedicated for this purpose, “The Future Home of the Washoe Cultural Center”.
At the WTC meeting on Sept. 13, 2024, the council voted to rescind the RESOLUTION to support WZGT in their efforts to plan and organize a Cultural Center Strategic Planning Kick-off event because of concerns raised from a group of community members who disapproved.
We understand that a project of this magnitude requires much collaboration and solidarity, therefore, we, Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu, do not feel the need to push forward on the WCC strategic planning without the full support of the Tribal Council and therefore in addition to rescinding RESOLUTION No. 2024-08-WTC-072, we further recuse ourselves from RESOLUTION No. 2024-02-WTC-014 to champion an updated strategic plan.
However, this project is not going away, it will become the work of another council, or the next generation of Wašiw who will incorporate new ideas and modern indigenous programs for restorative & regenerative tourism as well as for educating the public.
Washoe Cultural Center at Taylor Creek The groundwork for the WCC project goes back nearly 50 years to a landscape analysis completed in 1977 identifying the parking lot across from the Taylor Creek visitor center as the most appropriate place for the WCC.
More progress was made after the 1997 Lake Tahoe Presidential Forum where it was recognized that the health of Lake Tahoe required the return of the Washoe to the lake” by the U. S. government, the governments of the States of Nevada and California, and The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, local governments, and the Tahoe community.
In honor of those who went before us–our ancestors, our relations, whose work left a legacy of activism in service of “Washoe Return to Lake Tahoe” including the building of a Washoe Cultural Center at Taylor Creek.
Additionally, in 2004, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Forum 2004; Recovery of the Biological & Cultural Heritage of the Lake Tahoe Basin & National Forest; National Vision of Wellness & Recovery; a document that provided an overview of several projects to be completed towards a Washoe return to the Lake including:
This document further describes “Complex Adaptive Systems and Business Management Practices contributing to cultural and physical survival of Washoe.
The WCC was one of many projects identified in 1997 designed to re-establish a Washoe presence at Lake Tahoe. Support in the form of legislation, funding and professional development continue to be available from government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private investors, The US Forest Service dedicated land located at Taylor Creek for this purpose……
“To provide the public with a place to learn about the historic and living history of the Washoe” People and Lake Tahoe”
this Special Use Permit; DECISION NOTICE and FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT: Washoe Cultural Center Environmental Assessment was issued in 1999 with a 20 to 30-year term, to the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, to construct, operate, and maintain a WCC including all infrastructure. This leaves 5 years; until 2029, then the lease is up.
More recent developments in understanding the impact of climate change and rising carbon emissions into our environment is bringing additional attention to Indigenous people’s Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as an important platform for addressing these pressing issues and provide more leverage for tribes’ endeavors to regenerate their ancestorial land practices. Assembly Bill No. 1284 of the California Legislature––2003-2004 (Amended in January 22, 2024); lays the groundwork for collaborative agreements at the tribes request, and further states that “California’s Native Americans have distinct cultural, spiritual, environmental, economic, and public health interests, and hold indigenous traditional knowledge [TEK] relating to natural systems in California” (Section 1:B).
The time is ripe to build our Cultural Center; A WCC with a focus on the living people themselves, their traditional practices, art, stories, and ways of life naturally lays the foundations for a Washoe regenerative tourism movement that places Wašiw in the center. A window of opportunity is open; however, this is an endeavor that must be engaged with full support of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California’s governing body.
The WCC project was the dream of numerous tribal members, the Tribal Historic Preservation Office, the Washoe Tribal Council up until 2006, and numerous other organizations, friends, and supporters. The ground has been laid, it’s now up to you–our future generations to move this project forward. You can obtain any of the documents sighted here on this link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bsCVgS1UwVgFsl1EzO2w8K2F47AYK9gA?usp=sharing
Or you can e-mail me and I will be happy to send you the link, or send a copy.
Respectfully,
Dr. Lisa Grayshield
Washoe Tribe member, and WZGT Executive Director
“Washiw Zulshish Goom Than-Nu continues to be committed to being a complement to existing tribal programs, working collaboratively wherever feasible, and reporting progress to the tribal council on a consistent basis and/or when called upon to do so” (MOU between Washiw Zulshis Goom Than Nu and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, 2023).
https://washoewarriorsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/OpenL-toWashoeT.pdf
TRUCKEE, Calif. – Washiw Zulshish Gum Tahn-Nu announced the launch of its groundbreaking fundraising campaign accompanied by a virtual launch event: “Strength in Solidarity: The Power of Collective Action with Washiw Zulshish Gum Tahn-Nu,” scheduled for Wednesday, May 29 from 5:30-7 p.m.
Generations after the displacement of Wašišiw (the people from here) from the Truckee-Tahoe region, the time has come for their return to their ancestral homelands. With the opportunity to purchase land in El Dorado County, the Truckee-Tahoe community has a unique chance to support the Wašiw journey home through the creation of Wašiw Than-Nu Ungal (The People’s House in the style of the California roundhouses).
Formed in 2009 by Wašiw elders, Wašiw Zulšiš Gum T’ànu strives to promote healing and cultural revitalization in their communities, addressing the trauma of forced removal and cultural erosion. Facing challenges such as substance abuse, violence, degenerative disease from western food systems and medicines, and suicide, as well as environmental threats to the lake itself, invasive species and pollution, they are advocating for reclaiming stewardship for the healing of the land, the water and the people.
Read More from The Daily Tribune Here
Often when speaking of this land’s original people, the past tense is used, as if the Washoe have slipped away to reside only on the pages of history books. Yet that is in error, as the tribe that has inhabited Lake Tahoe and its surrounding lands since time immemorial is still very much here. Several members are gathering in Truckee this October to discuss plans to build a traditional gathering place, with the hope to help heal themselves, this land, and the world at large.
The event is being hosted by the Washiw Zulshish Gum T’anu (WZGT), or Washoe Warrior Society, a group of Washoe Tribe elders and community members who formed to support the cultural remembering of the tribe.
“This organization started in 2009 because they wanted to build a roundhouse, a spiritual gathering place, they call Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal, or a People’s House. It will be dedicated to the cultural and spiritual values of our people; a place to heal and to remember who we are,” said Lisa Grayshield, executive director for WZGT and Washoe Tribe member, later adding, “The elders were concerned about all the problems that were happening, specifically with the youth. And they were concerned about the disconnect from our cultural ways and who we are as a people. They knew that reconnecting was what we needed to do in order to heal and to change things that we were losing — who we are, our language, our culture, our traditions.”
Read More from Moon Shine Ink Here
On Oct 28th 2021, Sierra Nevada University (SNU) “Sustainability” students, joined by members of the campus People and Planet Club, participated in a local creek/beach clean-up and fundraising event. The event was designed to address the impact of microplastics (and other pollutants) on the Da-oh (Lake Tahoe) Basin watershed. A group of aproximately 40 individuals walked collectively from the SNU campus to Incline Creek combing the area for waste. The event was documented in partnership with the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center to educate locals and visitors towards sustainable stewardship. After the clean-up, Washoe elder Marty Meeden and John Dayberry spoke about the importance of the day and the sacredness of the area. Students seemed to take extra pride in knowing their waste removal work was also raising money for Washiw Tahn-Nu Ungal (The Peoples House), a project of Washiw Zulshish Goom.
Thank you SNC for your generous support!
Gratitude to Scott and our friends at Mountain Lotus Center (Truckee, CA) for you generous support and donations.
WZGT members planted Woods Rose, Buffalo Berry, Golden Currant, and Chokecherry along the Carson River. Much gratitude to Lori Leonard, the River Fork Ranch Manager for stewarding these lands and for including us in this work”.
info@washoewarriorsociety.org