Cowboy

Cowboy is a broad term for men who work on ranches in North America.  Etymologists trace the use of the term cowboy back to 1000 AD in Ireland. Being the oldest use of the word, in Irish it’s “ buachaill  bó “. Other languages have used other words, such as "Boötes" in Ancient Greek The word "cowboy" was used in England in the early 19th century but its use in the late 19th century in North America comes from the Spanish word . The cowboy has deep historic roots tracing back to Spain and the earliest European settlers of the Americas. In the United States the Native Americans and cowboys have a rich history, Still today, Native American cowboys are making a big impact in the world of rodeo.

Over the centuries Movies about cowboys are often called western movies. They often show cowboys as fighting rather than working. Cowboys can be recognized by their big brown hats and lassos. Men who do similar work in Australia are called "stockmen".

Common clothing includes a belt with a big buckle, a cowboy hat, a lasso, a buttoned shirt, chaps, boots, and sometimes include another belt for carrying things while riding a horse.

 Job 
A Cowboy is simply a person who works on a ranch and rides on a horse while he herds cattle.  However, on the modern day ranch, the job has evolved into more duties such as branding, fencing, hay production, and machine and animal maintenance.  Cowboys have also been gunfighters, lawmen, outlaws, or shooting exhibitionist.  Some were hired guns who made a living with weapons in the Old West.

In American culture
In American culture, the idea of cowboys is of freedom and independence. It is part of the myth of the Wild West. In movies and other stories, white actors usually play cowboys, for example Dale Robertson, Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. In real life, many cowboys of the 1800s were white Irish, black or Latino.

The fictional cowboy called Sheriff Woody is played by Tom Hanks.

In British culture
In Britain, a "cowboy" is someone who charges money but is unskilled. For example, a "cowboy roofer" is someone who offers to fix a roof but does not know how to fix roofs.

Related pages

 Western (genre)

References

Category:Agricultural occupations
Category:Horse riding