Navajo Nation Rodeo rider (photo credit: Seth Kauffman)
For Fourth of July the group headed out from Diné College and drove about an hour to the capital of the Navajo Nation, Window Rock. Our plan was to attend the Navajo Nation celebration, seeing traditional dancing, shopping at different vendors and finally going to a rodeo. I had never been to a rodeo before and had no idea what to expect. The rodeo started at 7:30 pm and when we walked through the gate at 6:00 the stands were already almost filled with people.
One thing I knew I wanted to do while at the rodeo was take photos and my friend Alex Koscher was interested in the same thing. We scoped out a couple places to get a little closer to the action but without a press pass we were worried about being asked to step away from the fence. As the rodeo got closer and closer to starting, we noticed two photographers standing down by the fence and decided to go and stand with them, look official and not cause any problems, hopefully meaning we could capture some good photos.
Seth and Alex talking with photographers from the Navajo Times
We walked down and struck up a conversation with the two photographers. They worked for the Navajo Times and were interested in what we were doing in the Southwest. Conversation continued into the classic photography things, what camera is that, what lens are you using? As the rodeo started, the cameras came up and shutters started clicking, grabbing the first photos of the day. About 15 minutes into the rodeo one of the photographers walked by Alex and I and said “Hey guys, follow me, let’s see if we can get you into the back.” A little bit startled we quickly fell in behind him, pushing through the thick crowd. “How about we just say you are some college students shadowing me for today,” the photographer said, “shouldn’t be a problem”.
At this point I was giddy. I have had the privilege to photograph some cool events but being behind the scenes at rodeo might take the cake if we could pull this off. All three of us walked up to security, our photographer friend said. “Hey man got some college students shadowing me today — mind if they come back and take some photos?” and the security guard responded, “Not a problem,” and ushered us back.
Alex and I walked into a small gated pen, part of it had a roof over it and the rest was open air. Directly in front of us was the mounting area where the riders would hop on their bulls and horses. There were several gates where we could walk up to and stick our cameras out. Everywhere we looked there was action, someone warming up, someone running scores to the main box, or the rodeo clowns getting an angry bull out of the ring.
I quickly got to work snapping some photos but also was interested in talking to people while I was there. Everyone was surprised to hear that it was my first rodeo and especially surprised when they heard I was from Indiana. I met the breeder and owner of all the bulls being ridden in the rodeo, met a rider who wondered if I had got any photos of him (I hadn’t) and even talked to the rodeo clowns, who apparently got into the business because both of their dads were rodeo clowns too.
Rider at the Navajo Nation Rodeo (photo credit: Seth Kauffman)
I enjoyed my time at the rodeo and would go to one again. The people were kind and willing to talk to two absolute nobodies. I have found this to be true throughout the Navajo nation. Kindness, hospitality and a willingness to teach me, an outsider, is a theme that I have appreciated here.
Another example of this was when we were walking around the fair before the rodeo and a conversation was started between some fellow students and stranger, dressed in a Hawaiian shirt, that lasted for over 20 minutes. When the students came back one of them explained to me all that they had learned about Navajo. I struggle with this concept of striking up random conversations and being willing to be hospitable to anyone I come across. I would rather continue on my day in my own world, not worried about others, but I have found a new appreciation for talking with strangers.
A hard part about being at this rodeo was the idea of me being an outsider. Not only am I obviously not a Native American, who made up a lot of the crowd and about half of the riders, but I wasn’t exactly a part of the white crowd that was there either. I’m not a cowboy, I have never lassoed a steer or a wild horse. In no way was I comfortable with either of the crowds that were present. I cannot think of many times in my life when I have been completely unfamiliar with an environment and a crowd. It allowed me to be completely curious and intuitive in how I approached people and the different aspects of the rodeo.
Being at a rodeo is an interesting experience, especially on a Native American reservation. Like most things, however, once you get up close and meet some of the people you start to understand things you didn’t before. And you can get some cool photographs to go along with your experience!
View from the stands of the Navajo Nation Rodeo
