Autumn Harry is one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year, a recognition of women across the country who have made a significant impact. The annual program is a continuation of Women of the Century, a 2020 project that commemorated the 100th anniversary of women gaining the right to vote. Meet this year’s honorees at womenoftheyear.usatoday.com.
In a slightly blurry photo, a little girl about 8 years old with bangs, blue jeans and sneakers casts a fishing line into a jade lake surrounded by desert mountains. A lot has changed since that photo was taken.
Autumn Harry, of Nixon, Nevada, is no longer a little girl, but she can still be found most days at the water’s edge, where her father first taught her to catch Cui-ui fish, which are sacred to the Paiute, and Lahontan cutthroat trout. Since her father, former tribal chairman Norm Harry, died of cancer in 2020, Autumn Harry, 29, has become one of the foremost champions of tribal and environmental rights in Northern Nevada and the region.
In January, Harry became the first Paiute woman licensed as a fly fishing guide at Pyramid Lake, known as Kooyooe Pa’a Panunadu in the Paiute language. Additionally, Harry has helped to coordinate Truckee River clean ups as well as awareness panels about missing and murdered Native women. She is pursuing a Masters degree in geography at the University of Nevada, Reno, where her studies focus on a reclamation of indigenous place names.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
I have a deep connection to my Numu (Paiute) and Diné (Navajo) ancestors, particularly my late father, Norm Harry. It is great leaders like him who shared their knowledge with me throughout my life. I continue to admire and surround myself with leaders who dedicate their lifetimes protecting Indigenous waters and homelands from resource extraction, mining, and increased development.
My late father had a saying, “What is good for the fish, is good for the people.” This saying recognizes our deep connection to our fish species. Our people have a reciprocal relationship with the beings around us. When our fish are healthy, our waters are clean, and our people are protected.
Andy Barron/RGJ
Throughout the pandemic, my work has been dedicated to food security initiatives within my community including catching trout for elders and creating a gardening program to benefit multiple households on the reservation. My hope was to make our ancestral foods more accessible and sustainable for my relatives in Kooyooe Pa’a. I envisioned what I wanted for my own family: to strengthen our relationship with fishing and restore traditional food systems, intergenerationally, within our homes and communities.
Our Pyramid Lake communities are located at the terminal end of the Truckee River Watershed and have overcome many challenges regarding water theft, river diversions, local fish extinction events and ongoing impacts to water quality. The region, the people, and fish are threatened by the water needs of sprawling development and nearby lithium mining claims. Protection of Numu homelands will always take precedent and will be done through organizing, education, and direct action.
I recently became the first Paiute woman fly fishing Guide at Kooyooe Pa’a Panunadu (Pyramid Lake). It has always been my dream to fish and share my love for the land, water, and educating visitors about the history of our people. I named my business Kooyooe Pa’a Guides, to honor our Numu name for the lake, while also educating guests on how to visit our homelands respectfully.
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