Canadian Indian Cowboys in Australia Representation, Rodeo, And the RCMP at the Royal Easter Show, 1939

Summary: This work documents an important yet little-known moment in Canadian history, when a First Nations team of athletes represented Canada in international sport. In 1939, a troupe of eight rodeo riders, accompanied by an RCMP officer, traveled to Sydney, Australia, to complete in the Royal Easter Show. In all, four distinct cultural groups were represented--Australians, Americans, white Canadians, and First Nations Cana...dians--at a time when international competition in rodeo was rare. Author Lynda Mannik's approach is unique because she incorporates five different perspectives of a single episode: those of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales; the Canadian government; the eight First Nations men who participated; the RCMP officer who traveled with the team; and the Australian public. These multiple perspectives emphasize how constructions of identity are, in varying degrees, intercultural and social in nature, and are also based on relationships of power. [read more]