What's in a name?

I've been thinking about how long this post might become because of what our ranch name means to us. When we were first trying to figure out what we were going to call ourselves, I was looking up tips and tricks to put something together and some of them were "Use your last name" or "use an adjective in correlation with where you live" ( for example our neighbors were FossilRidge Farmstead because Dinosaur bones were found in that location). Our last name is Taylor so that was out because there are SO many companies with Taylor in them we didn't want to be another one. At the time of creating our name, we were living in Skull Creek Wilderness area in CO, we could have come up with some pretty neat names living there, but we knew we wouldn't be there forever and wanted something that would be significant wherever we ended up.

                              KEEP SEARCHING.....

Some of the tips though were helpful though like " Use your name in a different language"  and "Find something with deep meaning to you". The name Cowpens showed up, for the flag that was flown during parts of the revolution and specifically the Battle at Cowpens. We love US history, specifically the revolution time period. We found symbolism in the 12 stars circling around the 1 center star and we were seriously considering it. Then one day, FarmerSteve texted me saying that Wovoka was Paiute for " the cutter". Our last name, Taylor, back to its original translation is "the scissor".  So we found the answer to the first tip, our name in a different language. This was very inspirational to us because we had been reading (Farmer Steve studying) about a man named Jack Wilson or Wovoka. He was a Paiute religious leader and there are accounts from US army and others saying they saw him command the skies to rain. He is also who shared the Ghost Dance which is the dance that led to the Massacre at Wounded Knee. A really neat man who represents a lot of things to us. Paiute are also the history of this area, one which we have a love and respect for. So we found the answer to the second tip, finding something with deep meaning.

                    WHY RANCH?

We chose ranch I think in part to us raising livestock vs growing produce or hay as a primary objective, even though we have multiple species. And because ever since I was a little girl I just knew I was going to have a ranch someday :) What we do is also considered farming and you will hear us call it both a ranch and a farm. At one point we considered just calling it a FRanch to blend the two!

                     AND THE BRAND.....

Our brand was a stroke of inspiration one day, thinking about our mission and how our name is a part of that mission. Truth, honesty, integrity are very important characteristics and morals in our family. They are an integral part of having good quality relationships and life. We named our private school Wovoka's Truth Academy, because that is what we want our children and any other students to come away with in life, is the truth behind things. We all know the saying "the truth shall set you free", well we believe that wholeheartedly.

Back to thinking about our name and truth.... Wovoka's Truth translates to "The Cutter's Truth" Truth cuts through the confusion of falsehoods like the light of the sunrise cuts through the darkness of the night. Everything can be seen and understood clearly and leaves no doubt. Our brand is that symbol of the sunrise, shedding light on a new day. A new day to see and learn truth. 

We feel it is a part of our mission to bring truth, light, and transparency in everything we do. Through the food we raise, the relationships we create, and the education we seek and share.