Crime Writers of the Canadian Plains

Crime Writers from Alberta surf the Coastal Crime Wave at Bloody Words 2011.
With support from the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Anne and Jayne profile the authors, the books, the panels and the people at Canada's only national crime writers convention.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Canadian Indian Cowboys in Australia - Lynda Mannik

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

 

In 1939, a troupe of eight rodeo riders, accompanied by an RCMP officer, travelled to Sydney, Australia to compete in the Royal Easter Show. The men were expected to compete in various rodeo events, as well as to sell handicrafts at the fair's "Indian village," where they also camped. International competition in rodeo was very rare at the time, and the team proved to be a popular draw for Australian audiences. This little-known moment in Canadian history is explored in Canadian Indian Cowboys in Australia. Author Lynda Mannik uniquely incorporates five different perspectives of the event: that of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales; the Canadian government; the eight First Nations men who participated; the RCMP officer who travelled with the team; and the Australian public.

This book is donated to the Bloody Words project by the University of Calgary Press.

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