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The word "cowboy" first
appeared in the English language about A.D. 1715–25, and appears
to be a direct English translation of vaquero. ("vaca"
meaning "cow") This term thus developed after the
Hacienda system of large land grants to private owners, usually
for cattle ranches, was established by the Spanish government, and
along with it, the need for vaqueros or cowboys.
As cattle ranching developed in
the Iberian peninsula and later, in the Americas, where the
climate was dry and grass sparse, large herds of cattle required
vast amounts of land in order to obtain sufficient forage. The
need to cover distances greater than a person on foot could manage
gave rise to the development of the horseback-mounted cowboy.
Because of the time and
physical ability needed to develop necessary skills, the cow
"boy" was an adolescent or even a young man, (and,
rarely, a few women) who began earning wages as soon as they had
enough skill to be hired, (often as young as 12 or 13) and who, if
not crippled by injury, might handle cattle or horses for the rest
of his working life. Though the term became somewhat disassociated
from age (the phrase "old cowboy" is not considered an
oxymoron), the low wages and low social status of the job kept the
term "boy" in use, though ultimately it became simply a
label for the job itself, and even a term of pride.
On modern western ranches, sole
responsibility for herding cattle or other livestock is not
considered a job for children or early adolescents. However, both
boys and girls growing up in a ranch environment often learn to
ride horses and perform basic ranch skills as soon as they are
physically able, usually under careful adult supervision. Such
youths, by their late teens, are often given responsibilities on
the ranch that require a level of maturity and level headedness
that is not generally expected of their urban peers.
History
The Spanish invented what we now
consider the cowboy tradition, beginning in medieval Spain.
During the 16th century, the
Conquistadors and other Spanish settlers brought the tradition and
their horses, the ancestors of the "wild" mustangs, with
them to the New World through New Spain (later Mexico). The
mustangs are called "wild" but in reality these are
feral horses - descendants of domesticated animals.
Though popularly considered as an
American icon, cowboys are a New Hispanic tradition, which
originated in the Central States of Mexico, Jalisco and Michoacán,
where the Mexican cowboy would eventually be known as a "charro".
Historically, the northern parts of Mexico (New Mexico) originally
included most of the territory of the American southwest including
Texas and California.
In 1821, Stephen F. Austin and
his East Coast comrades became the first Anglo-Saxon community
speaking Spanish. Following Texas independence in 1836, even more
Americans immigrated into the ranching areas of Texas. Here they
were impressed by the Mexican vaquero culture, borrowing
vocabulary and attire from their counterparts.
The buckaroo, describing a
cowboy of the vaquero tradition who broke untrained horses,
developed in California and bordering territories during the
Spanish Colonial period. A distinct horse-handling culture
remained, even after the Mexican War, that retained a stronger
Spanish influence than that of Texas. The term buckaroo
officially appeared in American English in 1889, derived
(influenced by) 'buck', as folk etymology) from bakhara,
itself an anglicized alternate since 1827 of vaquero,
Spanish for cowherd, which itself originates in the Latin vaca
('cow'). The word is still used on occasion in the Great Basin and
many areas of California and intermittently in the Pacific
Northwest.
Following the Civil War, vaquero
culture diffused eastward and northward, combining with the cow
herding traditions of the eastern United States that evolved as
settlers moved west. Other influences developed out of Texas as
cattle trails were created to meet up with the railroad lines of
Kansas and Nebraska, and expanding ranching opportunities in the
northwest.
Sharing a similar base, the
"Texas" and "California" traditions merged to
a large extent, though a few regional differences in equipment and
riding style still remain.
Over time, the cowboys of the
American West developed a personal culture of their own, a blend
of frontier and Victorian values that even retained vestiges of
chivalry. Such hazardous work in isolated conditions also bred a
tradition of self-dependence and individualism, exemplified in
their songs and poetry.
End
of the open range
By the 1890s, railroads had
expanded to cover most of the nation, making long cattle drives
from Texas to the railheads in Kansas unnecessary. The invention
of barbed wire allowed cattle to be confined to designated acreage
to prevent overgrazing of the range, which had resulted in
widespread starvation, particularly during the harsh winter of
1886-1887. Hence, the age of the open range was gone and large
cattle drives were over. Smaller cattle drives continued at least
into the 1940s, as ranchers, prior to the development of the
modern cattle truck, still needed to herd cattle to local
railheads for transport to stockyards and packing plants.
Meanwhile, ranches multiplied all over the developing West,
keeping cowboy employment high, if still low-paid and somewhat
more settled.
In the 1930s and 1940s, Western
movies popularized the cowboy lifestyle but also formed persistent
stereotypes. In pop culture, the cowboy and the gunslinger are
often associated with one another. In reality, working ranch hands
had very little time for anything other than the constant, hard
work involved in maintaining a ranch. Likewise, cowboys are often
shown fighting with American Indians. However, the reality was
that, while cowboys were armed against both predators and human
thieves, and often used their guns to run off people of any race
who attempted to steal, or rustle cattle, most actual armed
conflicts occurred between Indian people and cavalry units of the
U.S. Army.
Much has been written about the
racial mix of the cowboys in the West, but because cowboys ranked
low in the social structure of the period, there are no firm
figures. The Cattle on a Thousand Hills by John Ambulo in
the March 1887 issue of The Overland Monthly states that
cowboys are "... of two classes - those recruited from
Texas and other States on the eastern slope; and Mexicans, from
the south-western region. ...". Census records bear that
out. The cowboy occupation also appealed to freed slaves following
the Civil War. It is estimated that about 15% of all cowboys were
of African-American ancestry - ranging from about 25% on the trail
drives out of Texas, to very few in the northwest. Similarly,
cowboys of Mexican descent also averaged about 15%, but were more
common in Texas and the southwest.
American Indians also found
employment as cowboys. In fact, many early vaqueros were
Indian people trained to work for the Spanish missions in caring
for the mission herds. Later, particularly after 1890, when
American policy promoted "assimilation" of Indian
people, some Indian boarding schools also taught ranching skills
to Indian youth. Today, some American Indians in the western
United States own cattle and small ranches, and many are still
employed as cowboys, especially on ranches located near Indian
Reservations. The "Indian Cowboy" also became a
commonplace sight on the rodeo circuit.
Ranching in Canada has
traditionally been dominated by one province, Alberta. The most
successful early settlers of the province were the ranchers, who
found Alberta's foothills to be ideal ranching country. Most of
Alberta's ranchers were English settlers, but the cowboys — such
as John Ware who in 1876 brought the first cattle into the
province — were American. [3]
American style free-range dryland
ranching began to dominate southern Alberta (and, to a lesser
extent, Saskatchewan) in the 1880s. Canada's first rodeo, the
Raymond Stampede, was established in 1902. The nearby city of
Calgary, Alberta became the centre of the Canadian cattle
industry, earning it the nickname "Cowtown". The cattle
industry is still extremely important to Alberta, and cattle
outnumber people in the province. While cattle ranches defined by
barbed wire fences replaced the open range, the cowboy influence
lives on. In 1912, the Calgary Stampede began, and today it is the
world’s richest cash rodeo. Each year, Calgary’s northern
rival Edmonton, Alberta stages the Canadian Finals Rodeo, and
dozens of regional rodeos are held through the province.
The Hawaiian cowboy, the paniolo,
is also a direct descendant of the vaquero of California
and Mexico. Experts in Hawaiian etymology believe "Paniolo"
is a Hawaiianized pronunciation of español. (The Hawaiian
language has no /s/ sound, and all syllables and words must end in
a vowel.) Paniolo, like cowboys on the mainland of North America,
learned their skills from Mexican vaqueros.
By the early 1800s, Capt. George
Vancouver's gift of cattle to Pai`ea Kamehameha, monarch of the
Hawaiian Kingdom, had multiplied astonishingly, and were wreaking
havoc throughout the countryside. About 1812, John Parker, a
sailor who had jumped ship and settled in the islands, received
permission from Kamehameha to capture the wild cattle and develop
a beef industry.
The Hawaiian style of ranching
originally included capturing wild cattle by driving them into
pits dug in the forest floor. Once tamed somewhat by hunger and
thirst, they were hauled out up a steep ramp, and tied by their
horns to the horns of a tame, older steer (or Ox) that knew where
the paddock with food and water was located. The industry grew
slowly under the reign of Kamehameha's son Liholiho (Kamehameha
II)
Later, Liholiho's son,
Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III), visited California, then still a
part of Mexico. He was impressed with the skill of the Mexican
vaqueros, and invited several to Hawai`i in 1832 to teach the
Hawaiian people how to work cattle.
Even today, traditional paniolo
dress, as well as certain styles of Hawaiian formal attire,
reflect the Spanish heritage of the vaquero. The traditional
Hawaiian saddle and many other tools of the cowboy's trade have a
distinctly Mexican/Spanish look and many Hawaiian ranching
families still carry the names of the vaqueros who married
Hawaiian women and made Hawai`i their home.
On the ranch, the cowboy is
responsible for feeding the livestock, branding (marking) cattle
and horses, and tending to injuries or other needs. They also move
the livestock to different pasture locations, or herd them into
corrals and onto trucks for transport. In addition, cowboys repair
fences, maintain ranch equipment, and perform other odd jobs
around the ranch. These jobs vary depending on the size of the
ranch, the terrain, and the number of livestock. On larger
ranches, or on those with lots of cattle, a cowboy may specialize
in one task or another. On smaller ranches with fewer cowboys—often
just family members—the cowboy tends to be a generalist who can
do almost any job. Cowboys who train horses often specialize in
this task, and may "Break" or train horses for more than
one ranch.
The United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics collects no figures for cowboys, so the exact number of
working cowboys is unknown. Cowboys are included in the 2003
category, Support activities for animal production, which
totals 9,730 workers averaging $19,340 per annum. In addition to
cowboys working on ranches, in stockyards, and as staff or
competitors at rodeos, the category includes farmhands working
with other types of livestock (sheep, goats, hogs, chickens,
etc.). Of those 9,730 workers, 3,290 are listed in the subcategory
of Spectator sports which includes rodeos, circuses, and
theaters needing livestock handlers.
Most cowboy attire, sometimes
termed Western wear, grew out of practical need and the
environment in which the cowboy worked. Most items were adapted
from the Mexican vaqueros.
- Cowboy hat; a hat with a wide
brim to protect from brush and vegetation, the sun and the
elements; there are many styles, probably influenced by John
B. Stetson's Boss of the Plains, the Mexican sombrero and US
(and Confederate) Cavalry hats.
- Cowboy boots; a boot with a
high top to protect the lower legs, pointed toes to help guide
the foot into the stirrup, and high heels to keep the foot
from slipping through the stirrup while working in the saddle;
with or without detachable spurs.
- Chaps protect the rider's legs
while on horseback, especially riding through heavy brush or
during rough work with livestock.
- Jeans or other sturdy,
close-fitting trousers made of canvas or denim, designed to
protect the legs and prevent the trouser legs from snagging on
brush, equipment or other hazards. Properly made cowboy jeans
also have a smooth inside seam to prevent blistering the inner
thigh and knee while on horseback.
- Gloves, usually of deerskin or
other leather that is soft and flexible for working purposes,
yet provides protection when handling barbed wire, assorted
tools or clearing native brush and vegetation.
Many of these items show marked
regional variations. Parameters such as hat brim width or chap
length and material were adjusted to accommodate the various
environmental conditions encountered by working cowboys.
Tools
Lariat; from the Spanish "la
riata," meaning "the rope," a tightly twisted stiff
rope with a loop at one end enabling it to be thrown to catch
animals (sometimes called a lasso, especially in the East,
or simply, a "rope"). Spurs; metal devices attached to
the heel of the boot, featuring a small metal shank, usually with
a small serrated wheel attached, used to allow the rider to
provide a stronger (or sometimes, more precise) leg cue to the
horse. Rifle; a firearm used to protect the livestock from
predation by wild animals. A pistol might also be carried,
especially when not physically working cattle. The modern American
cowboy came to existence after the invention of gunpowder, but
cattle herders of earlier times were equipped with long sticks,
bows and sometimes lances.
The traditional means of
transport for the cowboy, even in the modern era, is on horseback.
Horses can traverse terrain vehicles cannot. Horses, along with
mules and burros, also serve as pack animals. The most important
horse on the ranch is the everyday working ranch horse; horses
trained to specialize exclusively in skills such as roping or
cutting are very rarely used on ranches. Because the rider often
needs to keep one hand free while working cattle, the horse must
neck rein and have good cow sense—it must instinctively
know how to anticipate and react to cattle.
A good stock horse is on the
small side, generally under 15.2 hands (62 inches) tall at the
withers, with a short back, sturdy legs and strong muscling,
particularly in the hindquarters. The horse has to be intelligent,
calm under pressure and have a certain degree of 'cow sense"
-- the ability to anticipate the movement and behavior of cattle.
Many breeds of horse can make good stock horses, but the most
common today is the American Quarter Horse, which is a horse breed
developed primarily in Texas from a combination of Thoroughbred
bloodstock crossed on horses of Mustang and other Iberian horse
ancestry, with influences from the Arabian horse and horses
developed on the east coast, such as the Morgan horse and
now-extinct breeds such as the Chickasaw and Virginia
Quarter-Miler.
Tack
Western saddle; a saddle
specially designed to allow horse and rider to work for many hours
and to provide security to the rider in rough terrain or when
moving quickly in response to the behavior of the livestock being
herded. A western saddle has a deep seat with high pommel and
cantle that provides a secure seat. Deep, wide stirrups provide
confort and security for the foot. A strong, wide saddle tree of
wood, covered in rawhide (or made of a modern synthetic material)
distributes the weight of the rider across a greater area of the
horse's back, reducing the pounds carried per square inch and
allowing the horse to be ridden longer without harm. A horn sits
low in front of the rider, to which the lariat can be snubbed,
"saddle strings" provide secure mountings for any
additional equipment needed for work on the ranch; and various
other modifications.
Saddle blanket; a blanket or pad
is required under the Western saddle to provide comfort and
protection for the horse.
Bridle; a Western bridle usually
has a curb bit and long split reins to control the horse in many
different situations. In some areas, especially where the
"California" style of the vaquero tradition is
still strong, young horses are often seen in a bosal style
hackamore.
Saddle bags (leather or nylon)
can be mounted to the saddle, to carry various sundry items and
extra supplies.
Martingales, or "tiedowns"
are occasionally seen on horses that have training or behavior
problems.
The most common vehicle driven in
modern ranch work is the pickup truck. Sturdy and roomy, with a
high ground clearance, and often Four-wheel drive capability, it
has an open box, called a "bed," and can haul supplies
from town or over rough trails on the ranch. It is used to pull
stock trailers transporting cattle and livestock from one area to
another and to market. With a horse trailer attached, it carries
horses to distant areas where they may be needed. Motorcycles are
sometimes used, but the most common smaller vehicle is the
four-wheeler. It will carry a single cowboy quickly around the
ranch for small chores. In areas with heavy snowfall, snowmobiles
are also common.
The word rodeo is from the
Spanish rodear (to turn), which means roundup. In
the beginning there was no difference between the working cowboy
and the rodeo cowboy, and in fact, the term working cowboy
did not come into use until the 1950s. Prior to that it was
assumed that all cowboys were working cowboys. Early cowboys both
worked on ranches and displayed their skills at the roundups.
The advent of professional rodeos
allowed cowboys, like many athletes, to earn a living by
performing their skills before an audience. Rodeos also provided
employment for many working cowboys who were needed to handle
livestock. Many rodeo cowboys are also working cowboys and most
have working cowboy experience.
The dress of the rodeo cowboy is
not very different from that of the working cowboy on his way to
town. Snaps, used in lieu of buttons on the cowboy's shirt,
allowed the cowboy to escape from a shirt snagged by the horns of
steer or bull. Styles were often adapted from the early movie
industry for the rodeo. Some rodeo competitors, particularly
women, add sequins, colors, silver and long fringes to their
clothing in both a nod to tradition and showmanship. Modern riders
in "rough stock" events such as saddle bronc or bull
riding may add safety equipment such as kevlar vests or a neck
brace, but use of safety helmets in lieu of the cowboy hat is yet
to be accepted, in spite of constant risk of injury.
Other names for a cowboy in
American English include cowpoke, cowhand, cowherd, waddie and
puncher.
The term "cowpuncher"
was especially popular with cowboys who worked in the Cherokee
Strip since they were entitled to join the Cherokee Strip
Cowpunchers Association which was organized in 1920.
A person who owns land or
livestock is generally referred to as a "cowman" [citation
needed] or "cattleman".
The history of women in the west,
and women who worked on cattle ranches in particular, is not as
well documented as that of men. However, instutions such as the
Cowgirl Hall of Fame have made significant efforts in recent years
to gather and document the contributions of women.
There are few records mentioning
girls or women driving cattle up the cattle trails of the Old
West, even though women undoubtedly helped on the ranches, and in
some cases (especially when the men went to war) ran them. There
is little doubt that women, particularly the wives and daughters
of men who owned small ranches and could not afford to hire large
numbers of outside laborers, worked side by side with men and thus
needed to ride horses and be able to perform ranch work. The
largely undocumented contributions of women to the west were
acknowledged in law; the western states led the United States in
granting women the right to vote, beginning with Wyoming in 1869.
Following the Civil War, Charles
Goodnight, developed a western-styled side-saddle that allowed
women to ride horses while fashionably dressed. The traditional charras
of Mexico preserve a similar tradition and ride side-saddles today
while exhibiting superb horsemanship in charreadas on both
sides of the border.
It wasn't until the advent of the
Wild West shows that cowgirls came into their own. Their riding,
expert marksmanship, and trick roping entertained audiences around
the world. Women such as Annie Oakley became household names. By
1900, skirts split for riding astride, allowing women to compete
with the men without scandalizing Victorian Era audiences by
wearing men's clothing or, worse yet, bloomers. In the movies that
followed, women expanded their roles in the popular culture and
movie designers developed attractive clothing suitable for riding
Western saddles.
The growth of the rodeo brought
about another type of cowgirl - the rodeo cowgirl. In the early
Wild West shows and rodeos, women competed in all events,
sometimes against other women, sometimes with the men. Performers
such as Fannie Sperry Steele rode the same "rough stock"
and took the same risks as the men (and all while wearing a heavy
split skirt that was still more encumbering than men's trousers)
and gave show-stopping performances at major rodeos such as the
Calgary Stampede and Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Competition for women changed
after 1925 when Eastern promoters started staging indoor rodeos in
places like Madison Square Garden. Women were generally excluded
from the men's events and many of the women's events were dropped.
In today's rodeos, men and women compete equally together only in
the event of team roping, though technically women today could
enter other open events. There also are all-women rodeos where
women compete in bronc riding, bull riding and all other
traditional rodeo events. However, in open rodeos, cowgirls
compete in the timed riding events such as barrel racing, and most
professional rodeos do not offer as many women's events as men's
events.
Boys and Girls are more apt to
compete against one another in all events in high-school rodeos as
well as O-Mok-See events, where even boys can be seen competing in
barrel racing. Outside of the rodeo, women compete equally with
men in nearly all other equestrian events, including the Olympics,
and western riding events such as cutting, reining, and endurance
riding.
Today's cowgirls generally use
clothing indistinguishable from that of men, other than in color
and design, usually preferring a flashier look in competition.
Sidesaddles are only seen in exhibitions and a limited number of
specialty horse show classes. A cowgirl wears jeans, close-fitting
shirts, boots, hat and when needed, chaps and gloves. If working
on the ranch, they perform most of the same chores as cowboys and
dress to suit the situation.
In today's society, there is
little social recognition of the daily realities of actual
agricultural subcultures. Cowboys have become more known for their
(commonly fictitious) wild fights with Indians, than their actual
hard life of cow-tending.
In the American and Canadian
West, as well as Australia, some vacationers will "play"
cowboy by working on dude ranches, occasionally participating in
cattle drives or accompanying wagon trains.
The long history of the West in
popular culture tends to define those clothed in Western clothing
as cowboys or cowgirls whether they have ever been on a horse or
not. This is especially true when applied to entertainers and
those in the public arena who wear 'Western wear' as part of their
persona.
Many people, however,
particularly in the West, wear Western clothing as a matter of
form and think of themselves as lawyers, bankers etc. - even those
raised on ranches do not consider themselves cowboys or cowgirls
unless so occupied.
Outside of the West, the cowboy
became an archetypal symbol of American individualism. In the late
1950s, a Congolese youth subculture calling themselves the Bills
based their style and outlook on Hollywood's depiction of cowboys
in movies. Something similar occurred with Apache, which in early
twentieth century Parisian society essentially meant an outlaw.
The state of Wyoming's nickname
is The Cowboy State.
In the British Isles, Australia
and New Zealand, the term cowboy can be used as an adjective in a
derogatory sense. It is usually applied to tradesmen whose work is
of shoddy and questionable value, e.g., "a cowboy
plumber". This usage predates the discovery of the New World
and originates from the perception that herdsmen are unskilled
laborers.
On the European continent the
term 'cowboy' is sometimes used to someone who behaves as
hot-headed and rash as the 'civilized' outsiders expect from the
'savage' inhabitants of the 'Wild West'. The term is also
used in America. For example, TIME Magazine had a cover article
about George W. Bush's "Cowboy Diplomacy."
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