The black cowboys of the Mississippi Delta

[Black Haven]

Meet the Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Mississippi Delta
For more than a century, the African American cowboy has been almost absent in popular media. This photographer wants to change that.
Text by
Rory Doyle





LIGHT

Photo: Gee McGee rears his horse after a rare snowfall in Bolivar County, Mississippi

A recent article in Smithsonian estimated that just after the Civil War, one in four cowboys were African American. Yet this population was drastically underrepresented in popular accounts like film and books. And it is still. But the cowboy identity retains a strong presence in many contemporary black communities.

Delta Hill Riders, an ongoing documentary project in the rural Mississippi Delta, sheds light on an overlooked black subculture—one that resists both historical and contemporary stereotypes. The project began in January 2017, when I attended a black-heritage rodeo in Greenville, Mississippi. I’ve been invited to black-heritage rodeos, horse shows, trail rides, Cowboy Night at black nightclubs, and subjects’ homes across the Delta. I’ve been welcomed in a way I could not have imagined.

It’s a story that’s particularly timely with the current political environment, and one that provides a renewed focus on rural America. These riders show a love for their horses and fellow cowboys, while also passing down traditions and historical perspectives among generations. Ultimately, the project aims to press against my own old archetypes—who could and could not be a cowboy, and what it means to be black in Mississippi—while uplifting the voices of my subjects.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Jeremy Melvin, left, laughs with Kyran Parker at the horse barn in Bolivar County.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Girdine Smith, 91, left, gets her hair prepared for a family photo by her daughter, Carolyn Johnson, at Smith’s home in Charleston, Mississippi, in December.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Dkamyion, left, and Carlos share a horse outside a rodeo in Greenville in October.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Pam Wrenn takes turns giving horseback rides to kids during a break from a trail ride in Charleston.

Photo: Rory Doyle
A group of kids wait for a trail ride to begin in Tillatoba, Mississippi.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Jessie Brown looks up at a flock of migrating geese in Bolivar County.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Javaris Beamon, left, poses for a portrait with his grandfather, Rogers Beamon, at the annual Christmas parade in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Peggy Smith poses for a portrait at a horse show in Charleston in August 2017.

Photo: Rory Doyle
Tyrese Evans (left), Jeremy Melvin (center), and Gee McGee (right) dance atop their horses in the McDonald’s parking lot in Cleveland.
Meet the Cowboys and Cowgirls of the Rural Mississippi Delta

@Supper i know you probably would like this.
Also can someone embed this video from bbc?
The black cowboys of the Mississippi Delta - BBC Reel

 

[IllmaticDelta]

dope

 

[Black Haven]

dope

I remember visiting family in Cleveland ms and experiencing the culture first hand it was nice.

 

[cheek100]

So proud of my mississippi roots

 

[IllmaticDelta]

I remember visiting family in Cleveland ms and experiencing the culture first hand it was nice.

golf coast and south west is where black cowboy/rodeo culture is still thriving the most

 

[Supper]

@Supper i know you probably would like this.
Also can someone embed this video from bbc?
The black cowboys of the Mississippi Delta - BBC Reel

Been trying to piece together the roots of the American, particularly the Texas, particularly the black texas cowboy.

One thing is for sure that the primary roots of the black texas cowboy is not the mexican vaquero as many ppl(mostly mex) try to claim. Mexicans were not the only cattle ranching by horse tradition in North America let alone cattle ranching in general. The beef industry existed in just about every southern slave state.

The primary root of black texas cowboy is other southern states. The Carolina drover culture + Florida cracker/seminole culture + SW Louisiana cattle ranching were the most influential in the formation of black (east)TX cowboy culture.

Also black cowboys in TX created certain VERY influential traditions in cowboy culture themselves like the bulldogging tradition.

Trailrides like what you see in the black community don't seem to be present in the Mexican community at least around here. Further confirmation comes from this article about the MS black cowboys.

I got no problem giving the mexicans credit for ten gallon hats and cowboy boots(which black cowboys in the cowboy era didn't even wear), but the lifestyle itself. Nah.

It's a real interesting subject. It's also interesting that the majority of the most famous cowboys of color in TX in history tend to be black, while the notable Mexican cowboys/vaqueros tend to come from SW states.

 

[NZA]

do any of you have "buffalo soldiers" groups in your states? we have them in arizona and they do try to educate kids on the role of blacks in cattle ranching and the west as a whole...

 

[GoAggieGo.]

My type of thread.

There’s a black rodeo in Biloxi every year. I hate that in all the years I lived down there, I didn’t attend. Both my father and I are into black cowboy culture heavy, so I’ll have to take him.

He just bought a Texas edition Toyota Tundra, and thinks he’s a black cowboy in that lol

 

[staticshock]

Dope thread. That simple life is so appealing to me.

Much love to our brothers & sisters in Mississippi. I my take a road trip to the delta blues museum in a couple months.

 

[im_sleep]

So proud of my mississippi roots

Same here, I wish more of us were tho...

 

[CrushedGroove]

We go to a family friends trail ride every year in Louisiana. Zydeco be poppin.

I live in the burbs right outside of Mo City and most of the ranches are black-owned.

 

[GoAggieGo.]

Just copped me a nice couple pairs of cowboy boots. My job requires a boot, and I want some I can wear at work and for leisure

 

[rbksNgirbauds]

Been trying to piece together the roots of the American, particularly the Texas, particularly the black texas cowboy.

One thing is for sure that the primary roots of the black texas cowboy is not the mexican vaquero as many ppl(mostly mex) try to claim. Mexicans were not the only cattle ranching by horse tradition in North America let alone cattle ranching in general. The beef industry existed in just about every southern slave state.

The primary root of black texas cowboy is other southern states. The Carolina drover culture + Florida cracker/seminole culture + SW Louisiana cattle ranching were the most influential in the formation of black (east)TX cowboy culture.

Also black cowboys in TX created certain VERY influential traditions in cowboy culture themselves like the bulldogging tradition.

Trailrides like what you see in the black community don't seem to be present in the Mexican community at least around here. Further confirmation comes from this article about the MS black cowboys.

I got no problem giving the mexicans credit for ten gallon hats and cowboy boots(which black cowboys in the cowboy era didn't even wear), but the lifestyle itself. Nah.

It's a real interesting subject. It's also interesting that the majority of the most famous cowboys of color in TX in history tend to be black, while the notable Mexican cowboys/vaqueros tend to come from SW states.

Is there anywhere you can read up on this sort of thing?

 

[GoAggieGo.]

golf coast and south west is where black cowboy/rodeo culture is still thriving the most

Black Rodeo still going strong at the Biloxi/Gulf Coast coliseum every year. That, and black spring break.

 

[Jcotton1]

I remember Grandpa taking us to the Bill Pickett rodeo. I also have some Gordon Parks photos framed which have different views of southern life.