by Julie Carter
We that are born and raised rurally in America and have at
one time or another tried to make our living off the land, are often critical
of those who strive to emulate us when they fail to understand that which they
attempt to copy. I’m not endorsing the criticism, simply stating the reality.
The
Western cowboy hat is recognized around the world as the defining piece of
equipment in Western wear. What's it good for? It shades you from the sun,
helps rain roll off your head and can be used to swat a horse or flies, fan a
campfire, take water from a creek or signal others by waving.
For
the cowboy, his hat can communicate a powerful message. It reflects the
identification of his lifestyle as well as his moral code of ethics and fair
play.
There
isn’t a “cowboy” event anywhere that doesn’t provide a fashion parade of the
most unusual versions of “cowboy clothes”, one has never seen. Not functional
for cowboy work, but certainly designed to be seen in peacock style.
While
it is said that imitation is the best form of flattery, I know some cowboys
that are not at all flattered by what they see as “costumes”. Their belief is
that imitation should be a more exact science.
However,
the cowboy hat over the last century has become a symbol of the strong,
independent, can-do spirit of the cowboy and the Old West. Along with this
emulation comes a loss of explanation, tradition and perhaps what some would
call “cowboy code”. There are those that accuse those aforementioned things to
be, and not always incorrectly, superstition.
Starting
at the top of the cowboy, the subject of his hat will spark a lengthy
discussion that can quickly elevate to an argument. If the cowboy has one part of his persona
that is sacred, it is his hat.
Few things define cowboy
correctness like a properly placed hat. It should never be worn on the back
side of the head with the brim facing outward. Instead, cowboys slant their
hats forward and wear them snug on the forehead. As a photographer, I’ve had to
work at catching the face in the shadow because I know better than to ask him
to tip his hat back beyond the tan line on his forehead.
Recently
I saw a painting so beautiful in its simplicity of a table top in a dark room
displaying an open Bible, a glass lantern and a cowboy hat. The hat drew my
eyes first, as it was placed brim down on the table. To most, that would mean
nothing. To me, it said the painter was not a cowboy or familiar with true
cowboy culture.
While
many conclusions can be drawn to what I saw, for me it was simply that for all
my life I was taught you didn’t place a hat brim down on anything. It wasn’t as
many supposed -- simply tradition or superstition. It was to protect the shape
of the hat.
It
is the little things that continue to define the “genuine” in cowboy. Wearing a
hat doesn’t make a man a cowboy any more than the ability
to buy a cow does.
Many
will argue, defend, excuse or stand against my view of that painting. I’m not
arguing their correctness or their own beliefs.
It is simply that it doesn’t change a thing for me.
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