吃瓜网

In the early Eocene Epoch, in what is now known as the of southwestern Wyoming, a short, steep, sediment-filled river flowed into an enormous salt lake, spreading out like a muddy fan as it reached the shore.

About 55 million years later, Ethan Parrish ’14, who was earning his doctoral degree in Geoscience at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, uncovered the first geologic evidence of the river.

Because he made the discovery, he got to choose the river’s name.

Parrish’s decision to honor the area’s Indigenous roots was influenced by rivers of experience that led him to this moment, including thought-provoking liberal arts classes he took at Whitman College. But his initial naming efforts were met with some resistance, an experience that left him looking for a better model for how scientists can collaborate with Indigenous communities. 

A year later, that quest led Parrish to a surprising opportunity—one that would inspire this geologist to become a documentary filmmaker. 

Interconnected Landscapes

Growing up in Golden, Colorado, Parrish loved the outdoors and initially wanted to study environmental science in college. But while registering as a first-year at Whitman, his first-choice Environmental Studies courses filled up too quickly. 

Professor of Geology Kirsten Nicolaysen noticed his distress and encouraged him to take her (GEOL-125) course. The class was the beginning of a new way of interacting with the world.

“Geology began to put into words and understanding the deep and beautiful histories of the places that I love to be,” Parrish says.

Later, studying abroad in the incredible landscapes of New Zealand sealed his decision to become a geologist. 

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and a few years working for an oil company—doing science he loved in an industry he didn’t—Parrish decided to pursue a graduate degree in geology. His studies brought him to the Green River Formation, where he discovered the ancient river in 2021. 

As he contemplated the opportunity to name the river, he called upon the liberal arts foundation he gained at Whitman, especially the way it fostered his curiosity and taught him to seek out interconnections.

His favorite class at Whitman, Environmental History of the American West, had encouraged him to think about landscapes from different perspectives, he says: “How does my understanding of geology and the history of this planet meld with my appreciation for the importance of the interconnectedness of people and the lands where they live?”

The Complexity of Naming

Parrish wanted the river’s name to honor the Indigenous people whose ancestral lands included the Green River Formation, so he connected with the .

But the naming proved complex. Other scientists deemed his initial proposal too hard to pronounce and memorize, so he had to go back to the drawing board. Working with the tribe, he eventually settled on Toya Puki: Toya means “mountain” in Shoshone, and Puki means “fan”—though a handheld fan, not a geologic one.

The name was accepted, but Parrish felt like he’d done a disservice to the language and tribe.

“I think it shed a light, in a very tangible way to me, on just how systemically colonialistic the sciences, especially geoscience, are,” he says.

Soon after, he found an opportunity to challenge that system with UW–Madison paleontologist .

Documenting a Dinosaur Discovery

Parrish has always loved being behind the camera. At Whitman, he honed his photography skills on the staff of Whitman’s student newspaper. In 2022, Lovelace reached out to Parrish to see if he’d be interested in creating a video about Lovelace’s work in Wyoming, not far from the Green River Formation. 

At the time, Parrish was already helping develop an art-infused curriculum for geology courses and making educational videos for introductory geology classes. He was intrigued by the project—one that would explore an epic discovery.

In 2013, Lovelace and his team had —including the oldest dinosaur ever found in North America. Rather than rushing to report his findings, however, Lovelace chose an uncommon path: He spent years working with the community not only to name the species, but also to cultivate long-term educational and personal relationships with the tribes.

These efforts illuminated what Parrish felt he’d missed when he named Toya Puki: “I didn’t think about the idea of reciprocity. I was certainly trying to respect the tribe, but in documenting how Dave went about it, I realized just how much more we need to be doing as scientists.”

Parrish made a bold suggestion: Instead of a short educational video, could he direct and film a documentary?

This began a two-year journey to tell the story of the partnership between Lovelace and the Wind River Indian Reservation—and in doing so, call for a change in how scientists think about the work they do. 

From Geologist to Filmmaker

The private premiere of in January 2024 took place shortly after Parrish defended his dissertation. Both were a success.

The documentary went on to be selected for the 2025 , the 2025 and the 2025 , where it was nominated for an award. 

From the onset, Parrish’s intention for the film was for it to be a free and widely available educational resource. The film is now available on .

It also changed Parrish’s life: He’s now a fulltime filmmaker, where he lives in Wenatchee, Washington, splitting his time between his own company, , and contracting with .

Parrish doesn’t expect “What’s in a Name?” to change the way scientists work overnight, but he hopes it sparks a dialogue about scientific practices and diverse systems of knowledge.

“Geoscience is founded on observation and then interpretation—yet we disregard tens of thousands of years of observations because the style of observation or the style of interpretation is not what we understand or know,” he says. “I think science has a lot to learn about humility and observation and wisdom from cultures that have done these things for millennia.”