SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE WESTERNER

Anybody ever seen a hot pink ostrich?

By Julie Carter

I have been doing some concerned thinking about the image of the cowboy as seen by a generation; oh lets say, 50 years in the future.

I can only hope that their reference to wardrobe information would not be from the cover of any of today’s “western” wear catalogs or even the duded up images from cowboy poetry gatherings or other such collection points for cowboy loving fans.

I am truly concerned that the image of the real cowboy has been desecrated by the current version of the very icon of cowboy lore—his cowboy hat.

The new fad “cowboy hat” (and I do use that term very loosely) is an abomination. It looks like it’s been thrown down and driven over by a fleet of F-250 pickups loaded with wing- tipped line-dancing wanna be’s on their way to the honky tonk.

A recent Baxter Black column on the cowboy hat topic summed it up for me when he called it “the new Nashville, Santa Fe, Aspen, Toby Keith kind of floppy dishrag cowboy hat - which looks like a regurgitated hippopotamus cud.” Thank you Baxter. The visual is perfect.

Being a fairly nice guy, Baxter was finding a positive angle to this current fashion. He had determined that the folded up dipped down version of the cowboy hat was good for the airline traveling cowboy. It could be stuffed up in the overhead bin during the flight as required and it would not hurt the original “crease” at all.

I had one of those once. I carried it behind the seat in the pickup. I wore it only at the rodeo when I had to compete in the hurricane force winds and rain and the arena was a foot deep in mud. I knew if my hat ever came off, I wouldn’t want it back anyway.

Another good reason for an ugly hat is no one will steal it from you. I would say the theft rate on hats undoubtedly has dropped to almost nothing.

If the wadded up version of the cowboy hat isn’t bad enough, it gets worse in the female versions. Spray painted just about any color you can imagine, there is no wardrobe color you can’t match. And to add to the insult, they stick a big matching fluffy fuzzy feather in the hat band. To this day I have never seen a hot pink, lime green or passionate purple ostrich but darned if their feathers aren’t everywhere.

Somewhere along the way the cowboy hat got passed off as something of a romantic Wild West icon with no real function except to identify a cowboy in a crowd and/or make a fashion statement.

It is truly an identity to the cowboy but is also very functional. As originally intended, it shades the sun off the head and the face, ears and neck. The rains run off the brim and down the back of your slicker instead of down your neck into the inside of your shirt.

Tipped against the wind it can protect your face from the blowing dust. With your head ducked to your chest, riding into a snowstorm, it will protect against the slush trying to plaster your face. Other uses include watering your horse, fanning a fire, or signaling for help.

I continue to advocate that the cowboy hat should be designated as a historical landmark of national significance. Maybe then they’d quit insulting the cowboy with pink ostrich feathers in a hat that should never have happened.

© Julie Carter 2005

The value of a community

Sometimes I worry about the life my grandchildren will face on our West River ranch.

I know the land will still be there. Water may be scarce at times, but water will be available somehow.

Cattle will still be around, and probably more productive than ever if breeds continue to improve.

Grazing will still be allowed on private lands, even if cows do turn grass into fertilizer and gases. Even without the cows, grass will still turn into those things (just more slowly).

Will there still be enough people for a rural community? I don't know.

Some people think I favor bigger farms and ranches just because I don't oppose people who want to farm or ranch that way. It is their legal right. I support that freedom.

However, that does not make me a proponent of "bigger is always better", nor does it make me opposed to the alternatives when those work. I worry as much as others do about rural consolidation trends.

The quality of our rural life depends upon having a community. I see it all the time, whether it is at the funeral of an old friend, or the local graduation of his grandchild, or at a gathering for spring branding.

Spring branding is not really about that macho cowboy stuff you see on TV. It is really about a community of people sharing experiences, activities, food and life.

Having a sense of community requires people who live near enough to feel "together" at significant times. I don't know why we need it. Maybe it is a remnant of our tribal nature.

Whatever its origin may be, there is nothing quite like knowing that each member of the community will show up, shake your hand, and offer aid or condolences for each loss and congratulations for each success. Sharing is what rural life is really all about.

We may lose more rural communities if people do not begin to think about the future generations when selling land to a distant investor, a foreign trust, or the best offer. If we consider future generations at such times, land consolidation sales should decline.

The most precious item of the rural experience is the shared living with the fellow members of my community. That is the one important thing I fear my grandchildren may not have if they stay on the ranch.

Each time I see another empty rural home, the loss worries me a little, but not enough to give up.

Solutions will be found. We will search for them together.

Larry Gabriel is the South Dakota Secretary of Agriculture

I welcome submissions for this feature of The Westerner.

===