Prayer Horse is a Native-led nonprofit dedicated to protecting Indigenous cultural traditions, sacred lands, and environmental health in Nevada’s Great Basin. Founded in 2022 in memory of journalist, filmmaker, and land defender Myron Dewey, the organization responds to threats posed by mining projects—such as lithium extraction at Thacker Pass and pollution from the Anaconda copper mine—that endanger tribal lands, water sources, and traditional ways of life. Prayer Horse addresses intergenerational trauma, defends religious freedom, and raises awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives. The organization serves Indigenous communities in the Great Basin through culturally grounded activities, including annual multi-day Prayer Horse Rides, ceremonies, educational events, and youth engagement. Blending activism with healing, Prayer Horse helps revitalize Native identities while defending the land for future generations.
Joshua Dini, founder of Prayer Horse, and other riders at the 2022 Prayer Horse Ride. Photo: Prayer Horse Inc.
With an executive director, a grant writer, six board members, and many volunteers, Prayer Horse is a grassroots group working to uplift the language, culture, and lifeways of the Great Basin’s Indigenous peoples. Since its founding in 2022, Prayer Horse has hosted the annual Prayer Horse Ride—a multi-day, 200-mile journey on horseback from the Walker River Reservation in Schurz, Nevada, to Peehee Mu’huh, a sacred site for the Northern Paiute and Shoshone that is threatened by Lithium Americas’ Thacker Pass Mine. During the 2024 ride, Prayer Horse partnered with Great Basin Resource Watch in Yerington to host a “Mining Impacts 101” workshop, educating residents and riders on federal mining law, the lack of community consent under the 1872 Mining Law, and the legal context surrounding projects like Thacker Pass. Prayer Horse is currently collaborating with allied groups like Great Basin Resource Watch and Earthworks on campaigns to protect the waterways, wildlife, and sacred lands of the Great Basin from mining and other extractive industries.
Joshua Dini, founder of Prayer Horse, and other riders at the 2022 Prayer Horse Ride. Photo: Prayer Horse Inc.