Spot The Dog Sheepherd
by Janice Pariza
Title
Spot The Dog Sheepherd
Artist
Janice Pariza
Medium
Photograph - Photography Photo Painting Art
Description
A Basque Sheepherder herds his hundreds of sheep down the street I reside on, Sundown, in Delta, Colorado. The Pyrenees is herding, however well hidden in this shot.
Basques have been in the Americas for centuries--possibly even before the arrival of Columbus. Most of the current Basque communities of the American West, however, trace their origins to the more recent past. The Basque sheepherding story of the American West goes to the California Gold Rush that brought a sustained number of Basques to the American West. Most "49ers" did not find their gold and had to turn to an alternative plan, and thus some Basques went into ranching. By the 1870s Basque sheep outfits had expanded throughout the high desert country of the American West.
Anyone who has driven the high desert ranges of the West has pondered how someone could possibly live there. It's possible, but the life was very demanding, compounded by the reality that sheepherding as an occupation was not favorably looked upon. Basques took the job because it offered them economic opportunity. These hundreds of herders tended bands of sheep for months on end in a harsh, desolate environment. They were usually all alone. It was not an easy existence, but thanks to their perseverance their descendants were able to enjoy a better life here in America.
While shepherding served as the foundation of the Basque community for many years, today few Basques remain active in the sheep industry. By the 1970s the Basque involvement in the sheep business began its decline. Various factors contributed to this transformation, beginning of course with the immense challenges posed by the occupation that thrust the herder into "one of the loneliest professions in the world." A domestic struggle over the use of public land which resulted in the limitation of livestock grazing permits, improved economic conditions in the Basque homeland, recruiting efforts shifting to Latin America and changes in the livestock industry that favored cattle to sheep ranching effectively brought an end to a 150 year story.
This Image won 1st Place in August 2018 for Pixels Contest
Farming Activities'!
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Uploaded
January 10th, 2017
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