February 10, 2012

Navajos, Rodeos, Levi's and Pendleton

It's like a recipe for awesomeness.

Over a year ago, Levi's teamed with Pendleton to create a line of denim/blanket gear (sounds funky when I word it like that), and then they crewed up with Vice Magazine to present a documentary titled "Bares, Broncs and Bulls, Ranching and Riding in the Desert of the Southwest with the Hardest Working Navajo Kids Around."

This collab between Pendleton and Levi's rocks because both brands have been mainstays in Rez fashion for the past several decades. Furthermore, the Indian Rodeo scene hasn't been documented in video form (not that I know of anyways), so this represents a cool addition to how we look at the lives of young Native people and visualizing their different career paths.

In this short documentary film, the producers highlight some of the toughest up-and-coming cowboys (and girls) from the Triple B Association - a bronc, bull riding, and barrel racing league catering to the Native communities of the Southwest. They look at their incredible lives as they trained, traveled and competed in rodeos. We get to see their family support networks, their financial struggles, and their dedication to riding.

And of course I love it because I get to see a bunch of cowboy fashion. Be prepared for a lot of sharp cowboy hats, big shiny silver and gold belt buckles, and a lot of denim. Yes.

The doc features young Bareback Rider Earl Tsosie, Bull Rider Bert Jones, Roper and Barrel Racer Cory Rose Chee, and others.

You can watch Bares, Broncs, and Bulls online by clicking here, and click here to read up on the featured riders.