though it is focused on western/cowboy aesthetics and media, it is necessary to state that this history is trenched in racism, colonialism, dehumanization, and genocide.
along with this, many reproductions of cowboy culture are heavily whitewashed, and disregard the origins of cowboys, which are rooted in Mexican, Indigenous, and Black american cultures.
additionally, though a queer culture was established among cowboys at this time, a culture that should be studied and respected, that does not negate, diminish, or permit us to overlook the racism that frequently coexisted.
i am whole-heartedly in support of land back, decolonization, and all other forms of Indigenous liberation and self-determination. additionally, liberation for Indigenous people must be international, which thus necessitates a free Palestine. support for this can be shown in many ways, including Clicks for Palestine, joining the boycott, joining a protest, or with Gaza Funds
be aware of these realities and keep them at the forefront of your mind as you engage with my blog, or with any content related to western/cowboy aesthetics and media.
any of my fanfics, web weavings, memes, or personal posts can be found under the mine tag. thank you for browsing and/or following!
happy pride month! enjoy these memes from my favorite could be interpreted as queer episode of bonanza, “little man… ten feet tall,” in honor of pride! 🏜️🌈
as always, links to similar posts and image descriptions below:
adam cartwright + potpourri: x
hoss cartwright + potpourri: x
ben cartwright + pinterest finds: x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 3): x
bonanza + text posts (pt. 2): x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 2): x
bonanza + text posts (pt. 1): x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 1): x
hoss cartwright + headlines: x
[image 1:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the front yard of the ponderosa, hoss and ben begin to depart after a conversation, during which hoss asked ben if he could try to get nick biancci to stay a little longer. as ben leaves, he turns back around to see hoss’ smile again- he still laughs after ben playfully asking him if it was because hoss liked nick’s cooking. ben’s expression softens into something akin to fondness and pride. in the background of the screencap, mario biancci- played by child actor michael davis- practices his guitar on the front porch.
overlaid in the bottom middle-right is a sticker with a transparent background. with a black outline around them are the words “i love my gay son.” each letter of the text is a different color of the rainbow, following the pattern of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. the pattern repeats itself. the word “son” is substantially bigger; it lies below the rest of the text and makes up the same width. the creator of this sticker sells the product here.]
[image 2:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the front yard of the ponderosa, hoss and nick biannci- a dark haired man portrayed by ross martin- stand behind a buckboard loaded with goods and supplies. nick’s arms are full of packages and bags, and he looks up at hoss, a smile on his face. he thanks hoss for protecting him and his son from townspeople who were harassing them the day before. hoss returns the smile, brushing off the thanks with a joke.
overlaid in the bottom middle-right is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username secondbeatsongs, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “the thing about cowboys. is that i have feelings for them.”]
[image 3:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the kitchen of the ponderosa, nick and hoss stand in front of a large stove with many pots and pans upon it. mario has his sleeves rolled up and has an apron around his waist; he grins at hoss, elated as he tries the spaghetti he made. hoss holds a plate with the dish; he proclaims it’s good and goes back for a second forkful of the pasta.
overlaid in the bottom middle-left is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username dyke-pollinator, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “he’ll fuck me if i cook good enough i know it.”]
[image 4:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa are ben, nick, hoss, and mario. the back of the settee is in the forefront of the screencap. ben has only recently entered to find nick laid out on the settee with hoss tending to his wounds, mario standing nervously nearby. ben comes up behind the couch, leaning down and fretfully examining nick’s face; he lightly places the back of his hand on nick’s cheek, taking in the bruise below his eye. hoss smiles a little, knowing the that nick is not seriously hurt and pleased to see his father’s concern over nick.
overlaid in the bottom left is a color photograph from a pride event. it is focused on the upper body of a middle aged woman and the handmade paper and wood sign she carries. two signs are on the same picket. the first reads “i love my gay son” in a loopy, large font. “love” is written in red as opposed to black, like the rest of the text, and the “o” in “love” is instead shaped like a heart. it is filled in with marker to be a solid red. below this sign, a separate and new one has been added, which reads “and his fabulous boyfriend!” the text is black, save for “fabulous” and the exclamation point at the end. “fabulous” is in red and written with capitalized letters. the exclamation point is in red as well, and the dot at the bottom of it is a small red heart. the woman smiles, happy and proud.]
[image 5:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” mario, nick, and hoss stand close together on the porch and by the front door of the ponderosa. mario clings to his father’s arm, holding himself close to him. on nick’s other side, hoss also offers help to hold the man up. hoss looks exceedingly proud at how nick fought off the men attempting to threaten and blackmail the bianccis, and he offers up a fond and pleased, close-mouthed smile. nick turns to hoss, revealing a split lip and a bruise on his cheek. his shirt has started to become untucked and his vest has lost a few buttons.
overlaid in the bottom right quadrant is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username valtsv, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “is there any look hotter than disheveled and slightly bloody.”]
[image 6:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa, nick lays on his back on the settee, pillows propping up his head. hoss sits on the coffee table, and with a wet cloth in hand, tends to a small wound at nick’s temple. hoss comments they ought to have a doctor on hand with how frequently the bianccis find themselves in trouble; however, he does not seem bothered by his task, instead appearing pleased to help. nick looks up at hoss with warmth, awe, and trust in his eyes.
overlaid in the bottom right quadrant is a tweet with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username givemeabrekk. it reads “bro… what if you were gently tending to my wounds while scolding me for being so reckless but you stopped mid-sentence when you looked up to find me longingly staring at you what then bro.” the text is regularly interspersed with a blushing, wide-eyed emoji, emphasizing the flustered tone of the tweet.]
[image 7:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” mario, hoss, nick, and adam stand around a table in a virginia city saloon. mario looks up at hoss in awe as he shakes his hand, and hoss sends him a wink, giving him the nickname, ‘little buddy.’ nick stands close to his son, pleased at the exchange, and a few feet away, adam smiles fondly at how hoss interacts with the boy. mario’s damaged guitar rests on the table, but hoss has just offered a hundred dollars to the family, the money forcibly taken from those that broke the instrument in the first place.
overlaid in the top left corner is a reductress headline with a white background and black text. it reads “When I Realized My Two Dads Were, Like, Gay-Gay.” the first “gay” in the headline is italicized for emphasis.]
[image 8:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa are nick, hoss, and mario. the back of the settee is in the forefront of the screencap. nick shakes and writhes with laughter as mario tickles his foot, upon learning that his father hid his money in his sock to keep the extortionists from finding it. hoss bursts into a guffaw and mario giggles as the ticklish nick laughs and howls in protest.
overlaid in the bottom right corner is a tweet with a white background and black text. below the words, a reaction image is added. the tweet was written by an individual with the username fagaygo. it reads “Me: *sees adorable gay couple in public with a lot of family*.” it is then followed by an image of a pale hand about to slam down on a blue button. overlaid on the button is the text “i want to love and support you.”]
I was originally planning on holding off sharing this until June, but then decided to hell with that; why wait?
FURTHER RESOURCES:
Intersections: Indigenous and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Identities – this booklet from the Native Women’s Association of Canada is more intended towards 2S folks, but is still a great read for anyone.
Two Spirits, One Voice – This video from Egale is a great, no more comments needed.
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder – This book by Ma-Nee Chacaby can be a difficult and emotional read, but very much worth it.
Becoming Two-spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country – I have yet to read this book by Brian Joseph Gilley myself, but heard positive things about it.
Please feel free to reblog with more suggestions, if you have them!
A wild west, faced only by those who have the courage to not give up … absolutely violins and a guitar in the background, monitoring of metals. ‘The High Chaparral Theme’ David Dortort, for 'The High Chaparral’, the NBC series, 1967-1971.
This purse or "shopper" basket was made from rivercane. Although its maker is not known, the form, material, technique, and pattern are typical of Cherokee basketry made between the 1920s and the present.
The dark brown color is probably from walnut hulls and the orange from bloodroot, both dyes common to Cherokee makers. The pattern woven into the basket is the Chief's Heart pattern. The drop handles are made from wood separate from the basket. The handle attachments are woven into the basket before the rim is attached.
happy pride month! enjoy these memes from my favorite could be interpreted as queer episode of bonanza, “little man… ten feet tall,” in honor of pride! 🏜️🌈
as always, links to similar posts and image descriptions below:
adam cartwright + potpourri: x
hoss cartwright + potpourri: x
ben cartwright + pinterest finds: x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 3): x
bonanza + text posts (pt. 2): x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 2): x
bonanza + text posts (pt. 1): x
bonanza + headlines (pt. 1): x
hoss cartwright + headlines: x
[image 1:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the front yard of the ponderosa, hoss and ben begin to depart after a conversation, during which hoss asked ben if he could try to get nick biancci to stay a little longer. as ben leaves, he turns back around to see hoss’ smile again- he still laughs after ben playfully asking him if it was because hoss liked nick’s cooking. ben’s expression softens into something akin to fondness and pride. in the background of the screencap, mario biancci- played by child actor michael davis- practices his guitar on the front porch.
overlaid in the bottom middle-right is a sticker with a transparent background. with a black outline around them are the words “i love my gay son.” each letter of the text is a different color of the rainbow, following the pattern of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. the pattern repeats itself. the word “son” is substantially bigger; it lies below the rest of the text and makes up the same width. the creator of this sticker sells the product here.]
[image 2:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the front yard of the ponderosa, hoss and nick biannci- a dark haired man portrayed by ross martin- stand behind a buckboard loaded with goods and supplies. nick’s arms are full of packages and bags, and he looks up at hoss, a smile on his face. he thanks hoss for protecting him and his son from townspeople who were harassing them the day before. hoss returns the smile, brushing off the thanks with a joke.
overlaid in the bottom middle-right is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username secondbeatsongs, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “the thing about cowboys. is that i have feelings for them.”]
[image 3:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the kitchen of the ponderosa, nick and hoss stand in front of a large stove with many pots and pans upon it. mario has his sleeves rolled up and has an apron around his waist; he grins at hoss, elated as he tries the spaghetti he made. hoss holds a plate with the dish; he proclaims it’s good and goes back for a second forkful of the pasta.
overlaid in the bottom middle-left is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username dyke-pollinator, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “he’ll fuck me if i cook good enough i know it.”]
[image 4:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa are ben, nick, hoss, and mario. the back of the settee is in the forefront of the screencap. ben has only recently entered to find nick laid out on the settee with hoss tending to his wounds, mario standing nervously nearby. ben comes up behind the couch, leaning down and fretfully examining nick’s face; he lightly places the back of his hand on nick’s cheek, taking in the bruise below his eye. hoss smiles a little, knowing the that nick is not seriously hurt and pleased to see his father’s concern over nick.
overlaid in the bottom left is a color photograph from a pride event. it is focused on the upper body of a middle aged woman and the handmade paper and wood sign she carries. two signs are on the same picket. the first reads “i love my gay son” in a loopy, large font. “love” is written in red as opposed to black, like the rest of the text, and the “o” in “love” is instead shaped like a heart. it is filled in with marker to be a solid red. below this sign, a separate and new one has been added, which reads “and his fabulous boyfriend!” the text is black, save for “fabulous” and the exclamation point at the end. “fabulous” is in red and written with capitalized letters. the exclamation point is in red as well, and the dot at the bottom of it is a small red heart. the woman smiles, happy and proud.]
[image 5:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” mario, nick, and hoss stand close together on the porch and by the front door of the ponderosa. mario clings to his father’s arm, holding himself close to him. on nick’s other side, hoss also offers help to hold the man up. hoss looks exceedingly proud at how nick fought off the men attempting to threaten and blackmail the bianccis, and he offers up a fond and pleased, close-mouthed smile. nick turns to hoss, revealing a split lip and a bruise on his cheek. his shirt has started to become untucked and his vest has lost a few buttons.
overlaid in the bottom right quadrant is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username valtsv, and the option to ‘follow’ is in blue. it reads “is there any look hotter than disheveled and slightly bloody.”]
[image 6:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa, nick lays on his back on the settee, pillows propping up his head. hoss sits on the coffee table, and with a wet cloth in hand, tends to a small wound at nick’s temple. hoss comments they ought to have a doctor on hand with how frequently the bianccis find themselves in trouble; however, he does not seem bothered by his task, instead appearing pleased to help. nick looks up at hoss with warmth, awe, and trust in his eyes.
overlaid in the bottom right quadrant is a tweet with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username givemeabrekk. it reads “bro… what if you were gently tending to my wounds while scolding me for being so reckless but you stopped mid-sentence when you looked up to find me longingly staring at you what then bro.” the text is regularly interspersed with a blushing, wide-eyed emoji, emphasizing the flustered tone of the tweet.]
[image 7:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” mario, hoss, nick, and adam stand around a table in a virginia city saloon. mario looks up at hoss in awe as he shakes his hand, and hoss sends him a wink, giving him the nickname, ‘little buddy.’ nick stands close to his son, pleased at the exchange, and a few feet away, adam smiles fondly at how hoss interacts with the boy. mario’s damaged guitar rests on the table, but hoss has just offered a hundred dollars to the family, the money forcibly taken from those that broke the instrument in the first place.
overlaid in the top left corner is a reductress headline with a white background and black text. it reads “When I Realized My Two Dads Were, Like, Gay-Gay.” the first “gay” in the headline is italicized for emphasis.]
[image 8:
a screencap from the episode “little man… ten feet tall.” in the living room of the ponderosa are nick, hoss, and mario. the back of the settee is in the forefront of the screencap. nick shakes and writhes with laughter as mario tickles his foot, upon learning that his father hid his money in his sock to keep the extortionists from finding it. hoss bursts into a guffaw and mario giggles as the ticklish nick laughs and howls in protest.
overlaid in the bottom right corner is a tweet with a white background and black text. below the words, a reaction image is added. the tweet was written by an individual with the username fagaygo. it reads “Me: *sees adorable gay couple in public with a lot of family*.” it is then followed by an image of a pale hand about to slam down on a blue button. overlaid on the button is the text “i want to love and support you.”]
