Following Snoop Dogg, Sisqo & Bobby Brown’s appearance at the CMT Music Awards on Monday, Angel and I thought black cowboys would make a great Black History Spotlight this week.
Cowboys and the West play an important role in Americana, but do you know the role black cowboys and buffalo soldiers have played in history?
Rough Riders and Black Cowboy Legends acknowledges the contribution they have made to the success of America.
In pop culture, images of black cowboys have been scarce, giving a false impression that blacks were not among the men and women who settled the West. In fact, there have been thousands of black cowboys.
Blacks came to cattle country most often as slaves, brought by white landowners who hoped to take advantage of the fertile Texas soil to grow cotton.
At the start of the Civil War in 1861, Texas had over 180,000 black inhabitants. The U.S. government formed regiments known as the United States Colored Troops, which were composed of black soldiers led by white officers.
After the war, Congress reorganized the Army, authorizing the formation of two regiments of black calvary with the designations 9th and 10th U.S. Cavalry, and four regiments of black infantry, designated the 38th, 39th, 40th and 41st Infantry Regiments (Colored). All of these units were composed of black enlisted men commanded by white officers and, occasionally, black officers such as Henry O. Flipper, who was the first black American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy, also known as West Point.
Until the early 1890s, these regiments served at a variety of posts in the Southwestern U.S. and Great Plains regions. They participated in most of the military campaigns in these areas and earned a distinguished record. Thirteen enlisted men and six officers from these four regiments earned the Medal of Honor during the Indian Wars. In addition to the military campaigns, the “Buffalo Soldiers” served a variety roles along the frontier from building roads to escorting the U.S. mail.
After the Indian Wars ended, the regiments continued to serve and participated in the Spanish-American War, where five more Medals of Honor were earned.
In 1971, Paul W. Stewart founded the Black American West Museum to collect, preserve and disseminate the contributions of blacks in the Old West.
As a child growing up in Iowa, Stewart enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians with his friends. They assured him there were no black cowboys and he was forced to play the role of the Indian. It wasn’t until he reached adulthood that Stewart discovered this was not true and began a lifelong search for stories, photographs, clothing, memorabilia and papers to document the existence of black cowboys in the West.
The collection served as the beginning of a small museum that opened in the basement of Denver’s Clayton College. Today, the Black American West Museum has become a well-known destination point for visitors from around the world for its photographs, artifacts and historic documentation on blacks in the West.
Black Past, Black Cowboys
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Concrete Loop will feature ‘Black History Spotlights’ each week. These features honor black people through the years and submissions are welcome.
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How about that John Wayne!?
Elvis was a hero to most
But he never meant —- to me you see
Straight up racist that sucker was
Simple and plain
Mother—- him and John Wayne
Cause I’m Black and I’m proud
I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped
Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps
Sample a look back you look and find
Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check
Don’t worry be happy
Was a number one jam
Damn if I say it you can slap me right here
(Get it) lets get this party started right
Right on, c’mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be
It’s ill because the first example of a Black cowboy I ever had was Cleavon Little in Blazin Saddles. Not really a good look. But I’m glad I was later exposed to the truth and learned about true Black cowboys. This thread is a good look.
unh…so we contributed to the genocide of Native Americans too? You learn something new everyday.
i was reading up on them yesterday for class. this is actually interesting
How can we contribute to the genocide of Indians when we were out there as slaves? Were we getting their land and the resources associated with it? No. Hell, did we get any land? No again. The Indians were unfairly displaced and killed by the white man, not black slaves who were under the white man’s gun.
Anyway most Indians I know in NC cannot stand black people and call us niggers quicker than a white person. Just sayin.
Good Post!!! I learned something new today.Thanks
That was a really great post! I have done a lot of reading on them over the years. My dad and his brothers have a farm and cattle, so blacks in agricultural fields have always been of great interest to me.
Wow….I knew this but I never knew that it was such a prominent part of American History. This speaks volumes to the fact that we touched everything the white man did and we even did it better!
Additional Information about Black Cowboys
http://www.africanaonline...slavery_black_cowboys.htm
glad this was brought to everyone’s attention
My grandparents to me that COWMEN was what the men were originally used and “cowboy” was given to denigrate the black cowmen.
I found two websites that support this:
The Federation of Black Cowboys
http://federationofblackc...yc.com/page/history2.html
“In fact, the label “cowboy” is thought to have originally been a derogatory term used to describe Black “cowhands”. As the word “cowboy” has grown immeasurably in popularity, the Black cowboys the term described have been stricken from the record with extreme prejudice. ”
TVOne
http://www.tvoneonline.com/shows/show.asp?sid=453
“Black Cowmen, called “cowboys” by White ranchers as a derogatory term, helped to develop earlyAmerica, despite facing battles with Native Americans, the United States Army, and even racism from the people they protected. “
My grandparents to me that COWMEN was what the men were originally *called and “cowboy” was given to denigrate the black cowmen.
This is another interesting website detailing the History Of Black Cowboys
http://www.epcc.edu/nwlib...ands/21_black_cowboys.htm
Biography of Bill Pickett – Famous Black Cowboy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Pickett
I’m happy that this thread was created. Blacks did contribute to the displacement of the Native American Indians from the standpoint that we did fight in the armies of the white man in his campaigns out West. Native American Indians themselves also fought in the armies of the U.S. Government and aided the white man as trackers, mostly of enemy tribes, but sometimes to help destroy their own tribes. It has always been the modus operandi of the white man to infiltrate the race he was looking to conquer and seduce certain members of that race into his culture and way of life before convincing them to aid him in destroying their own people. Even in the ancient times the Greeks and Romans had blacks in their armies, mostly in the cavalries, that were integral in the defeat of other black a.k.a. “barbarian” races like the Dacians, Scythians, Gauls, and Thracians. The black soldiers were necessary because we were superior horseman and marksmen and like the black man always has done in war, we fought without fear. This was necessary in the wars against the plains Indians because they also fought without fear and we were the only ones that could match them.
The term “cowboy” itself denotes that not only were “some” cowboys black, but that the cowboys as a whole were initially viewed as an occupation of the black man. The white man would refer to all black men as “boys” and due to our ability to drive and herd cattle, as natural shepherds, we became known as “cow-boys”. That’s just another aspect of our history that has been whitewashed by television and Hollywood motion pictures. If black people had any real idea the extent to which our history has been abducted, there would be a lot less confusion.
I think you have a misconception of black history Sister.
Black had positions and status in the ancient Roman Empire.
If you do some researching, you will find that a few Emprerors and Popes were blacks (Victor 1). I think being a black cowboy or cowgirl is a lot more then drive and herd cattles. Its also a State of mind. Lots of things are not being said about the Black cowboys. Their contribution to society is underestimated. Were they : Jamaicans , Hatians , African-Amerricans. The truth is yet to be find.
Sincerely yours
Sebastien Coe
The ignorance of our people showed when they mocked Snoop Dogg’s outfit on that thread yesterday. Our people have been so destroyed, they don’t even recognize their own history when they see it. Those are the ones that will brag about how “educated” they are.
We have a Buffalo Soldiers musuem here in Kansas, very interesting story. I did’nt really know the story of the black soldiers untill my grandfather visited from Californa and wanted to visit the musuem.
is it me .. or everytime i go on concreteloop the scrollbar dissapears // its been doing that for about 3 days . i thouhgt it was just my computer but im in class and its doing the same thing = (
I’ve enjoyed visiting CL and learning so much about black history that I was totally cueless about. keep up the good work and I’ve read comments from people always claiming to be knowledgeable about black history but none have ever come acrossed as truthfull as Judah!
Good job! while ur at it look up the buffalo soldiers.
I live in Kansas City, and we have black cowboys till this day… I was at a club and whole “crew ” of them came in fresh from some black cowboy convention and they did some square dancing to some black cowboy line dance music! I had never heard that before! It was crazy! We use to have the black rodeo her every year.. I dont know if they still have it. Kansas City is a well kept secret full culture and entertainment..but not for long….Go KU!!!
i would love to see more realistic black cowboy movies….something other than “Posse”.
It’s a “Cowboys of Color” that comes to Dallas every year and they say it’s a great show. I would like to go one day.
I never knew there were black cowboys till today, as you said because the reference in pop culture are rather scarce.
Also I find it funny that black were used as soldier to fight the Civil War.
Wow. I knew about this, but it’s amazing how if you aren’t kept up with your history, it almost goes away. The only type of history that a lot of us know is the same MLK, Harriet Tubman stories that come year around. It’s time for black children to be taught some other things about us, because I’m certain that slavery and oppression aren’t the only things that are in our history. We’re just being taught enough to keep us quiet, and hold us back. It’s not right.
#22 where in the city are you at, I’m from K.C.KS and work in down town Kansas City.
Great story. I’ve learned something new about myself and my people. Thanks CL!
@27, I live near South KC…Bannister area..Glad to see we got some more K.C. Reppin!
Black cowboys still exist…I come from a family full of them (both sides). I have family members that participate in trail rides, and my grandparents use to own a rodeo arena. I also have a black friend who is a professional cattle roper…I find cowboys extremely sexy! My cowboy boots happen to be my favorite pair of shoes.
Glad that you chose to show that white folks don’t whole the market on this part of American history. Shouts out the vaqueros as well.
I m actually doing research about Blackcowboys history.
I would like you to teach me how to ride.
Its a part of my history, that I never focus on. Thanks for your comment. You really open my mind.
Sincerely
Sebastien Coe
IMMA B.HONEST, well alright!
I can definitely appreciate this article… and JUDAH up there droppin knowledge… maybe he should get an article on CL seems like he would be an asset to the history section…. just a thought
Yeah we do exist. The term Cowboy was a term that the White Ranch owners used to call Black men working cattle on the Ranch. Think about it…..”Go get that Cow Boy”. If you haven’t heard about Bill Pickett; he was a Black Man who invented the Rodeo Sport; Steer Wrestling (Bull Doggin) this is one of the biggest events in Rodeo still today. There are Black Rodeos held all over the Nation, they just don’t get TV coverage like the rest. I appreciate ConcreteLoop.com giving exposure to the Black Cowboy. The company I own “Kuntry Etiquette Entertainment”, just held a Rodeo Event; March 22nd, 2008 in Guthrie, Oklahoma called the “Xtreme Pony Express Open Rodeo”. Check out the Footage here: http://www.youtube.com/kuntryetiquette
God Bless…
VERB
Kuntry Etiquette Entertainment
http://www.myspace.com\kuntryetiquette
I’m glad to read this article! I am a “cowgirl” and I have friends who are and aren’t. But because I am exposed to it, and expose the people around me to it, I forget that a lot of people don’t know. I live in Northern California, and there are hundreds (if not thousands) of Blacks who live the lifestyle today. We even have our own clubs/groups, and I just found out that there are many groups on the east coast too! I was slacking on starting a blog about horses, with information about black “cowboys/cowgirls,” but this gave me a push to move faster. If anyone is interested, I would encourage you to go check out your local club/group/ranch. There are a lot of great functions, and experiences to gain. For instance, the director of my club owns 50 acres of land, and we hold events throughout the year, and other places do the same. AND MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE BILL PICKETT RODEO THAT TOURS EVERY YEAR, DURING THE SUMMER. ALSO, MAKE SURE TO COME TO THE ANNUAL BLACK COWBOY PARADE (October-Oakland, CA) if you live in the area. Here are some links, for those interested:
http://www.roughridershor....bravehost.com/index.html A Horsemen Group in the Maryland (DC Metro) Area
http://www.blackheritageriders.org/index.html The Black Heritage Riders
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi...81.DTL&type=printable
http://www.billpickettrodeo.com/new/index.html Coming to a city near you!
http://www.blackcowboyassociation.org/ Oakland Black Cowboy Association (with info on annual parade)
THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS STORY! I am from Fort Worth Texas, and every year since I was a little girl we would go to the Colored Rodeo and that’S my life, there is nothing sexier than a Black Cowboy JESUS!
Don’t foget, Melvin and Mario Van Peebles tried to bring some of the history to Hollywood as well with Posse. Good movie.
Actually Cowboys are a rip off of Mexican Vaqueros. American cowboys took the lifestyle from Mexican Vaqueros(cowboys) from Northern Mexico.
all i have 2 say is thank you for this because ive been using the black history spotlights for info fr my history papaer. and this has been a learning procees for me beacuse alot of this i didnt even know. THANKS J
@36
The Mexicans didn’t invent that cattle herding system. They got it from the conquistadors, who themselves got it from the blacks that ruled medieval Spain. No group can “invent” cattle-herding. A group may have invented a certain system of cattle-herding and the caballeros and vaqueros were very prominent and skilled, but the cowboys are not a ripoff of the Mexicans. If that’s the case, we can go all the way back to the original domestication of farm animals if we want to go tit for tat. This topic is about the black cowboys, not the vaqueros.
This is good to know!!! Thanks
Thank you so much for the information. I have added some of the sites listed above to my favorites. I agree w/#26 – our children need to know more information. As a youth church member in NC, we won numerous Black History Quiz Bowls. However, I don’t recall studying anything about Black Cowmen/Cowboys. I own a dance studio and have used all types of music w/the exception of country for our shows. I’ve been so inspired by this short tidbit that I think I may center portions of the ’09 recital around country music themes. The kids may hate me initially, but after education (and proper, careful music selection), they and their parents will love it!
Please give Judah his on CL column – his writing is compelling.
No please don’t give Judah his own column. That negro is too militant and gets mad when somebody don’t see things his way. Then they become whoremongers, coons, and sheep. Only objective peoploe should get articles on CL.
I hate that I can’t just drop black history thoughts like Judah can. I guess I need to get up on some history lessons. I only took one Black History class in college. I definitely want to learn more though. I knew about the Cowboys of Color because they come every year in Dallas and I think Houston does the Black Rodeo.
I agree
Judah SHOULD be given the opportunity to have a column on ConcreteLoop.
The Brother is smart and presents valid viewpoints !
@41
Sis, I agree with you, lol. I’m not politically correct at all and I don’t believe in beating around the bush. The things that I say aren’t meant to appeal to the masses of the people. That is the exact reason why the Lord allows me, and certain other brothers and sisters, to understand and learn certain things that should be obvious to our people but are not. I know and love my people and our history and I’m unapologetic about that. Due to the fact that the modern generation of black people are more concerned with fitting in than learning about themselves, it ensures that they will remain subservient. A whore and a whoremonger are a whore and a whoremonger whether they agree with me or not. I deal with people how they deal with me.
Good information CL. I love to see things like this. Its a shame how our history is alway hidden from us and we always have to “dig” to find it. Please continue to do these kinds of posts.
Judah, I think in the two years I’ve been browsing on CL that’s the first time you ever agreed with somebody and gave your point of view without calling them out there name. I don’t think you should always fit in but that’s not the problem. It’s when somebody disagrees with you even when they are being nice about it, you go off on them! But I agree that you are very smart and know your stuff but it’s just not always necesary to put somebody down because they disagree. Thank you for stating your point. I expected a good cussing out but you have pleasnatly suprised me.
Good post and we need to learn about our history.
@46
Naw, that isn’t the first time. It’s just the first time you cared to acknowledge it, lol. Black people are rebellious against the Lord’s Word and our true history and many of us are ignorant to how ignorant we are. This leads to confrontation and there’s nothing wrong with that if the motivation is upright.
Educational post…. I read about this awhile ago and my daughter did a small project on this when she was eight years old. She loved reading about it so much I had her 9th birthday party at a black-owned and operated stable near my home in Brooklyn mind you. In the summer they cruise thru the neighborhood on the horses stopping thru parks and block parties educating the children. They almost lost the property but so far they are still operating there.
Judah thanks for the additional enlightment…
@ #6 GRITSUIT,
..just to add, Indians had (black) slaves as well.
Another little known fact is the whole persona that John Wayne portrayed was based upon Bass Reeves a real life rough and tumble Cowboy. Afrikans were the 1st to domesticate animals that made them a asset in the old west The word Cow-Boy came from them herding cattle.
@ Judah
I think you should do a blog. Not necessarily through CL but start your own. What better way to teach people what you think they should know?
This was very educational. Keep it coming and never stop feeding our minds with black history. Thanks!!!!
@ 6. Grit Suit: I recognize that it was under the white man’s gun. The blacks that helped the white man were just trying to survive, but its sad to think that blacks (and other non-whites) will persecute other oppressed people if it gets us in the man’s favor.
I hate when non white people piss on other non white people (i.e. blacks against chinese etc) when really we have the same social needs and, as hippy-ish as it sounds, if we all worked together we would see more progress.
oh and thanks for dropping knowledge Judah.
this a good look. keep doin you judah !! KC
for those that dont think black businesses and communities cant be successful look up BLACKWALLSTRET, PLEASE
@50
Some Indian tribes did have black slaves but many other tribes acted as if they were going to take blacks as slaves to appease the white man and then would subsequently allow them to live as equals within the tribe. It was mostly the “Five Civilized Tribes” that were involved in the slavery of blacks but if you do your research you’ll see that some of those tribes were very lenient and freed many blacks, intermarrying with them and many brothers became chiefs in those tribes. The plains Indians were usually very accepting of blacks. Osh Kosh, namesake of the children’s clothing line, was a black Indian chief in Wisconsin if I remember correctly. Also If I remember correctly, Snoop Dogg himself is a Choctaw Indian. Many negroes who think that they’re black are actually Native American. You can look up the Black Seminoles and it shows you the extent to which our people mixed. In the Bible the Native Americans are known as the Tribe of Gad and the Seminole Indians are known as the Tribe of Reuben. This is why the prophecy states that in the last days a “troop” (the U.S. cavalry) would overcome the Tribe of Gad (Gen 49:19).
@51
I don’t know sis. I have a great deal of respect for the time and effort it takes to maintain a blog and I’m not sure if that’s something I can do right now.
Wow thanx up above, it what I was about to say also including that you guys should do something on black native americans speaking of which I am a mix of black and native american. Black native americans are what you will black indians. They are Seminole and Cheeroke I think spelled that rite.
Much props concrete loop i turly appericate this black history everyday.
Thank you
Kenyana