NORTH STONINGTON, CONN. — Cowboys and Indians mingled peaceably at the
annual Schemitzun, the Green Corn Festival of the Mashantucket Pequot
Tribal Nation. But the cowboys were, in fact, mainly Indian.

The 8th annual Michael T. Goodwin Memorial Buck-A-Rama Rodeo, an
increasingly popular feature of the Schemitzun weekend, drew close to 40 of
the leading American Indian bullriders on the national rodeo circuit and
some of the star bulls as well. A corner of the pow wow grounds took on a
distinctly Western flavor (and odor), as some two dozen bulls lazed in a
corral and in the rodeo arena while waiting each “go-round” of competition
and their explosive few seconds on display.

In between rounds, the black cowboy hats of the riders polka-dotted the
crowd in the great white Schemitzun tent. The riders, who had to show
tribal membership to compete, were in the main Navajo, 19 in all, with
another six from the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation. Others were Yakama,
Oglala Lakota, Paiute and even Shinnecock from Southampton, N.Y.

The Buck-A-Rama, and a concert featuring pop star Jana, as Mashantucket
Pequot tribal member Michael Kicking Bear Johnson explained, were part of
an effort to expand the program at Schemitzun beyond the pow wow dancing
and drum groups. Johnson has founded a Native music and talk program for
satellite radio and iPod, and produced the concert. The traditional
competitions dominated the rest of the weekend, providing one of the
country’s largest gatherings of top pow wow performers.

For the Aug. 25 kick-off, however, the place to be was the rodeo, named for
the Mashantucket Pequot tribal member and rodeo enthusiast who persuaded
the Schemitzun committee to add the event eight years ago. As several
hundred spectators lined the stands around the sandy arena, cowboys and
bulls waited their turn to burst out of one of the five bucking chutes at
the far end.

In between the drama, master of ceremonies Jerry Belles and lead rodeo
clown Mike Smith kept the crowd laughing with non-stop banter and earthy
sight-gags. But the comedy routine masked a deadly serious function. The
role of the rodeo clown is to draw the bull away from a thrown rider, and
the three in the arena had plenty of work. None of them wore cowboy boots,
favoring gym shoes for quick starts.

Placid as the bulls looked in their corral, they were dangerous animals
when worked up for their ride. Some lived up to names like Grim Reaper,
Ground Zero and Anger Management.

One bull caught dismounted rider Gordon Smith, Shinnecock, with a set of
truncated horns and tossed him backward through the air. “It’s a good thing
he has no horns,” said the announcer. Several riders were left dangling by
the side of their bull as their hands caught in the riding rope. One
rambunctious gray chased clowns up the fence on either side of the field
before taking his leave.

Something caught the eye of Mr. Evil in the middle of a buck. Abandoning
the fight, he trotted over to look through the fence, as the crowd called
“re-ride.”

Throughout the bulls shared celebrity status with the riders. Belles duly
noted the ones who had appeared on television in the national rodeo finals.
A corral hand bragged to visitors that one of the bulls was worth $3
million.

At the end of the four go-rounds, the top cash prize of $10,000 went to
Terrance Granger, Dine’, of Tuba City, Ariz., with 326 points. It was the
second year in a row in which he dominated the competition. Second prize
went to Julius Begay, Dine’, of Shiprock, Ariz., and Nelson Tsosie, Dine’,
of Farmington, N.M., took third.

The competition was organized by Double R Rodeo of Catskill, N.Y.

Although more than a few riders limped off the field, most seemed recovered
later in the evening as they watched pop star Jana, Lumbee, perform a mix
of her dance numbers and new rhythm and blues-flavored songs she wrote for
her new CD, “Flash of a Firefly.” During her performance, she asked for a
volunteer to retie the lace on her high black boot. Julian Yellowhair, a
leading Navajo rider from Indian Wells, Ariz., eagerly rushed up.

Jana asked how the competition was going.

“I’m giving the other guys a chance,” he said.