Indian cowboys remembered.One Tsuu T'ina family thinks it's time It's Time was a successful political campaign run by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) under Gough Whitlam at the 1972 election in Australia. Campaigning on the perceived need for change after 23 years of conservative (Liberal Party of Australia) government, Labor put forward a for people to take their hats off to some unsung local cowboys. On June 29 and 30, the Littlelight family will host the first Tsuu T'ina Indian Cowboy Memorial Rodeo to honor deceased cowboy and cowgirl rodeo competitors. "The initial idea was for a memorial for my father. (That rodeo) was to be called the Littlelight Rodeo," said Kevin Littlelight, referring to his father, Bedford Littlelight who died in February, 1995. "But there were so many other people who were never recognized, so the Littlelight Rodeo is now a memorial for all these Tsuu T'ina rodeo cowboys." One of those special people includes steer wrestler Darcy One Spot, who was Kevin's travelling partner to Indian rodeos around North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . "He kind of showed us the ropes about the life of the rodeo," said 25-year-old Kevin about One Spot who died in 1991. Kevin, who competed in four Indian rodeos in May, plans to travel across two provinces and two U.S. states to take in about 30 rodeos this year. "There is a whole underworld of Indian rodeos. It stretches from Fort Vermilion vermilion, vivid red pigment of durable quality. It is a chemical compound of mercury and sulfur and is known as red sulfide of mercury; it was formerly obtained by grinding pure cinnabar but is now commonly prepared synthetically. (Alberta) to Los Cruces cru·ces n. A plural of crux. , New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). ," said Kevin. In Alberta alone, he expects to compete in at least 20 of the 30-plus Indian rodeos that will kick up dust across the province this year. (The Indian Rodeo Cowboy Association (IRCA IRCA Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 IRCA International Register of Certified Auditors IRCA International Radio Club of America IRCA Integrated Readiness Capability Assessment ), based in Standoff, Alta., is the oldest Indian rodeo association in North America.) IRCA members from southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of the year 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017[1][2]. and Hobbema plus cowboys from Montana will likely make up the main competition at the nine-event Tsuu T'ina memorial rodeo. "We are the smallest tribe in Treaty 7, but we seem to be pretty competitive given the population number we have," said Kevin. Each year, at least four Tsuu T'ina competitors qualify for the Indian National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes (INFR). Kevin, who has come close to qualifying for the INFR, has competed several times at the annual Window Rock, Arizona Window Rock (Navajo: Tségháhoodzání) is a community in Apache County, Arizona, USA. The population was 3,059 according to the 2000 census. rodeo, which is considered the Calgary Stampede The Calgary Stampede, which bills itself as The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth, is a large, non-profit festival, exhibition, and rodeo held in Calgary, Alberta for 10 days in the second week of every July. of Indian rodeos. Kevin's grandfather, Frances -- a competitor in the Calgary Stampede in the 1950s -- was a steer decorator. Bedford Littlelight was a steer wrestler from 1974 to 1984. "My father loved the rodeo," said Kevin. On the other side of the family, Littlelight's Blood Tribe mother, Frances, has three brothers -- Eugene, Sonny (Melvin) and Andy Creighton -- who were professional rodeo competitors. Kevin's older sister, Shelly, was a barrel racer. Leon, Kevin's younger brother, is a steer wrestler. Kevin's two brothers-in-law are also rodeo competitors. "We're pretty well a rodeo family," he said. "I wasn't good at anything except falling off horses," the Tsuu T'ina cowboy joked about his first rodeo attempts. Kevin finally shed his unofficial title as "world's worst calf-roper" when he tried steer wrestling. "It just came naturally," he said. The rodeo life, he added, is not all fun and adventure. "It's tough. You get road weary. You wonder why you do it. You are broke for so long, but as soon as you hit the pay window, it reminds you why you are doing it." Each event's purse at the Tsuu T'ina Indian Cowboy Memorial Rodeo will be $200 except for the steer-wrestling prize which could go as high as $1,000. Steer-wrestling has the biggest purse because the event attracts the most competitors. Admission to the Tsuu T'ina Indian Cowboy Memorial Rodeo is $6 for adults, $4 for youth, and no charge for Elders and children age 12 and under. The rodeo will be held at the Harry Dodginghorse Agriplex or at the Redwood Rodeo Grounds. Phone Kevin at (403) 238-6402 to confirm location. |
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