The Untold History of the Cowboys.
To understand the history of the black cowboy, you must first understand the history of the Cowboy.
The tradition of Horse -mounted hunters and herders originated in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became the foundation for the North American cowboy. The vaqueros of the Americas were the horsemen and cattle herders of New Spain, who first came to California with the Jesuit priest Eusebio Kino in 1687, and later with expeditions in 1769 and the Juan Bautista de Anza expedition in 1774. At least thats what they say on Wikipedia, but the truth is a black man brought it here before that.
The fact is that various aspects of the Spanish equestrian tradition can be traced back to Arabic rule in Spain, by the MOORS.
In 711 , a group from Africa invaded
the Iberian Peninsula and ruled for over 700 years before rulers were driven out in the mid 1400’s. After the fall of the empire
African people remained in Spain, and they were known as ladinos, or hispanicized Africans, and were soldiers, servants, settlers, and slaves. From Spain, they began to arrive in the Americas (South, Central, and North) as early as the 15th century, many arrived with the Spanish and Portuguese explorers.
One of those men who helped discover North America was Esteban, also known as Estevan or the “Black Mexican”. Born in Azamar, Morocco , he was the first African in Texas and what would become the Western United States. Esteban’s journey and others like it encouraged further exploration of the West by the Spanish and brought the culture and tradition of the VAQUERO to America.
Esteban, also known as Estevan, Esteven, Estebanico the Black Man, Stephen the Black, and the “Black Mexican,”
Born: 1500, Azemmour, Morocco
Died: 1539, Hawikuh Ruins (Mexico)
Over time the name of the VAQUERO has changed to reflect the hidden truth. Cowboy is said to have originated with the black ranch hands and herders in the west, used as sort of a derogatory term they made it their own and the cowboy lifestyle was born, and according to the Smithsonian 1/4 of Cowboys in the west were black. Unfortunately, schools do not teach this history, I mean it would go against the notion of White Supremacy if they told you that Cowboys, Country music, and line dancing came from the Black folks you probably wouldn’t believe it. This is a tradition that cannot be lost with older generations, it must be kept a live by those of us who know the truth. CUZZZZ even the real Long Ranger was BLACK smh.
I grew up on Deep Creek Rd. and in my family Horses have always been around, so it wasn’t weird to us, it was just part of being in the Country, but It was also part of our family identity. As land was passed down from generation to generation so was the traditions, and the legend of the RIVER RIDER was born.
SOURCES:
Vaquero (19 Aug 2020). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaquero
Estevanico (24 Jul 2020). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estevanico
Nodjimbadem, K. “The Lesser Known-History of African-American Cowboy” Simithsonian Mag. 13 Feb. 2017, retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/lesser-known-history-african-american-cowboys-180962144/
“The Cowboys You Didn’t Know About”. YouTube, uploaded by BBC Reel, 7 Nov. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-tTEVMFjL8
“Black Cowboys Saddle Up.” YouTube, uploaded by CBS Sunday Morning, 21 Jun 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR8JpSC6kJQ
