Posted on 06/22/2020 11:43:00 AM PDT by Cecily
A photographer has captured pictures of the modern-day Black rodeo circuit to pay homage to the untold stories of African American cowboys.
Atlanta, Georgia-based photographer Forest McMullin, 66, set out to explore the largely ignored history of Black cowboys in the United States, and during his search, he found a dedicated circuit of contemporary practitioners honoring their historical lineage.
'The history of African American cowboys and their role in settling the West has been largely ignored by historians and the media despite the fact that around 25 per cent of cowboys were African American,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Buffalo soldiers were African American soldiers who mainly served on the
Western frontier following the American Civil War. In 1866, six all-black
cavalry and infantry regiments were created after Congress passed the
Army Organization Act. Their main tasks were to help control the Native
Americans of the Plains, capture cattle rustlers and thieves and protect
settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews along the Western front.
https://www.history.com/topics/westward-expansion/buffalo-soldiers
Who gives a sh!t?
Oh yeah, all true.
My point is horsemen were never indigenous to America, yet the Cowboy is an American ICON.
Nobody’s claiming 25% of old west cowboys were Mongols even if they really could ride like um... Mongols.
Oddly the buffalo soldiers fought under the command of the likes of Garfield and McKinley who would become US Presidents, but they were there with the buffalo soldiers fighting the Apache..
We better tear down some statues...
What beautiful pix of these skilled and storied Americans!
I must say, cowboy gear suits them well. Quite a sharp contrast to the hoodie and droopy pants look of the city cousins.
“No caballeros?”
A lifetime ago I read that the saying was “better a Negro than a Mexican, better a Mexican than a Chinaman.”
Not sure about the accuracy, just one of those snippets of information that sticks around for some reason.
Also no mention of Native American cowboys who still exist.
Obama wanted to erase American lore regarding our respect for American Indians
So now, American Indians themselves are fading into the mist
Lotta black cowboys in Florida, which had - and has - cattle ranches in the northwestern and central part of what is now the state. They were free blacks, mostly a result of the relatively large free black population under the Spanish. They had skills and were valued as ranch hands.
Ive gone to great re-enactments where the descendants of the black cowboys demonstrated their skills. This is though they personally may have been attorneys, cops, etc...and thats America. Or it used to be.
I liked it...
;)
“My point is horsemen were never indigenous to America, yet the Cowboy is an American ICON.”
Gotcha. I love American cowboys, BTW.
My heroes have always been cowboys. Married one!
Hubbys hero is Fred Whitfield.
So blacks have to be celebrated every day, all the time now?
No, but I did like this positive story about a constructive segment of that community. Plus I like horses, cowboys and American history.
Wonderful anecdotethanks!
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