Great Plains Studies, Center for
Date of this Version
Summer 1999
Citation
Great Plains Quarterly Vol. 19, No. 3, Summer 1999, pp. 228-29.
Abstract
Growing out of work for a major exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where Morgan Baillargeon (Metis) is Curator of Plains Ethnology and Leslie Tepper is Curator of Plateau Ethnology, Legends of Our Times centers on the Native people of the Northern Plains and Plateau. The project, say Baillargeon and Tepper, began with two goals: "to help break the stereotype of 'the Indian versus the cowboy' and through remaking that image to bring to people's attention an entire field of western history and Native culture that remains largely unknown"; and "to acknowledge the contributions Native people have made to the ranching and rodeo industry." The authors attempt to demonstrate that for Native cowboys "their traditional beliefs, practices, and especially their history impart an additional dimension to cowboy life."
Baillargeon and Tepper bring together Indian stories, histories, songs, and poetry about this world, dividing the book into three parts: "Sacred Beings," "Ranching Life," and "Rodeo and Other Entertainment." Each section, in turn, is comprised of an essay by the authors followed by historical and contemporary Native accounts. As one would anticipate from a volume emerging from a museum exhibition, it is blessed with a great many illustrationsabout 168 in all. Roughly half of Legends of Our Times is devoted to images-primarily photographic-that document the world of the Native cowboy and cowgirl.
The volume will introduce many readers to the participation of Indians in ranching and rodeo and will make evident the shared experiences of Native peoples, whether they lived or live north or south of the 49th parallel. One especially welcomes the attention paid to the early Native cowboys, including the compelling photographic portraits of Running Rabbit Robe, Yellow Horse, Jack Alex and Gabriel Paul, Michel Charlie and C. B. Suszen Timentwa, Buffalo Thigh, Tom Three Persons, Jackson Sundown, and Barney Old Coyote Sr. Through an array of Native artifacts and voices, Baillargeon and Tepper clarify the vital place held by ranching and rodeo in this part of North America. Legends of Our Times is an important contribution toward a· more complete understanding of regional history and heritage.
Comments
Copyright 1999 by the Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln