HomeMy WebLinkAboutAfrican Americans in the American West, newspaper clipping, (04/05/1994)Black in
the saddle
African-Americans played
a big role in the taming
of the American West
Black
back to a black bar owner in
South Texas. Although not cre-
dited with writing the song, the
From Al bar owner was able to provide the
ll
co ector with all the words.
"Blacks have had a lot to do
others to know of the contribu
with the ion of mano
he ballads,efolk at
and cow -
tions blacks made to the West — a
boy songs here in the West," Gor-
subject he'll be promoting when
done said.
he speaks at a symposium out of
§tate Friday celebrating the
But for obvious reasons, he
con-
tributions of blacks to cowboy
said, they weren't given credit for
any of them. Instead, whites ac -
songs.
The symposium is part of the
cepted the credit, while blacks
were simply viewed as the "facili-
Buffalo Bill Historical Center's
three -day "Cowboy Songs and
tators" for white accomplish -
ments, he said.
Range Ballads" program in Cody,
"It's an institutional practice in
Wyo•
The practice of denying blacks
this country that everything
blacks contributed is considered
any acknowledgement of their
to be insignificant," he said. "It
contributions has resulted in the
was built into the system that if
black history classes and the
Practice of revisionism that's now
blacks contributed anything, it
was overlooked."
prevalent, Gordone said.
And through this untold his-
Through his research — pri-
marily through old
tory, people now are learning
more about how the formation
newspapers
and photographs — Gordone has
of
Western lore was highly depen-
also found that many of the West's
dent on the contributions of its
early sheriffs and marshals were
black pioneers, he said.
"Yellow
black. Participation in cattle
drives led other blacks back
The famous Rose of
Texas" who's been sung about
and
forth between Texas and Kansas,
all
across the West, for instance, was
he said. And at one time, about
15,000 of the cowhands in Texas
a beautiful mulatto woman who
"entertaining"
were either black or Hispanic, he
was Mexican Gen.
said.
Santa Ana at the time of his defeat
by American
While much more needs to be
troops, Gordone
said.
done to promote the knowledge of
And when a collector of Ameri-
the contributions of black cow -
boys, Gordone said it is nice to fl
can folksongs searched for the
onigins of the cowboy anthem
-
nally verify that blacks actively
"Dome on the Range," he traced it
participated in the forming of the
West.