Why Did Cowboys Wear Bandanas? (Explained!)
Everyone loves a cowboy.
Tales of unbelievable horseback tricks, daring duels, and lawless behavior makes me wonder what the Wild West was really like.
The movies show them slamming drinks (and making threats) in dusty saloons.
They appeared to have worn a certain“uniform”.
Why these items of clothing?
Why the bandana?
Cowboys wore bandanas to cover their nose and mouth from dust, especially during activities like herding up cattle. The bandana would bring coolness to their face and neck when dipped in water. It filtered dirty water when drinking, or was used as a sling for a broken arm. Sometimes it was even used as a pot holder.
Shirts usually lacked collars back then so the bandana helped protect the skin of the neck from the elements.
In some circumstances, bandanas were used to hide one’s face when doing dirty tactics.
What is the history of the bandana?
Bandanas have a nearly 300 year history of both fashion and function.
Originating in the Middle East or Asia, the word bandana loosely translates from the Hindi or Urdu language as “bound cloth”.
The earliest dyes used to print patterns on the cloth were plant dyes or sheep blood.
Bandanas came to Europe during the 18th century from India, and were marketed as women’s shawls.
Soon after, printers in Europe began manufacturing their own.
In the late 1700’s the fashion made its way to colonial America.
During the civil war in America, soldiers were issued bandanas and used them to carry possessions.
In the 1800s, the bandana was worn as by cowboys as part of their “uniform”.
As women entered the workforce in the 1900s, they used bandanas to tie their hair back.
The bandana has long been a symbol or determinism and adventure.
In more recent times, bandanas have been worn by gangs, artists, and celebrities, and have been used as fashion accessories at music festivals.
What Clothing was Typically Worn by a Cowboy?
Besides the bandana, cowboys wore vests, long-sleeved shirts, pants, wide brimmed hats,
Vests provided a lot of warmth in cool weather and could easily be unbuttoned to cool off.
They were made from canvas, wool, or leather.
Vests also provide a large range of movement.
The pockets of the vest allowed them easy access to personal items and small tools.
Cowboys’ shirts were usually cotton with long sleeves to protect from the dangers of the sun, sand and thorny shrubs.
Pants were usually canvas material, or trousers leftover from their uniform from the Civil War.
Chaps were often worn on top for protection from cacti and to keep the trousers from wearing out.
The wide brimmed cowboy hat was used for sun protection, and it developed from the Mexican sombrero.
Cowboys wore spurs on their boots to signal commands while riding.
If the cowboy’s hands were occupied with the rope, he would be unable to control the horse with the reins.
Spurs came via Mexico and were originally worn by Spanish conquistadors.
How did Cowboy Culture Originate?
What is often referred to as the culture of the Wild West started as a blend of Anglo and Hispanic ways of life merging together in Texas around the 1700s.
Many elements spread across America and even Canada with the trail herds.
Some attitudes and practices that came from Mexico and South America were brought there by Spanish Conquistadors.
American cowboys adopted this lifestyle, but they did not initiate it.
The cowboy tradition was made famous by the movie industry, which made the image of the cowboy appear both wild, dangerous and exciting.
From there, was born what we know as the cowboy culture of the Wild West.
What Was the Lifestyle of a Typical Cowboy in the Wild West?
Aspects of the life of a cowboy that aren’t usually depicted in movies about cowboys include monotonous tasks and strenuous ranch labor.
They worked up to 15 hours a day, repairing fences, buildings, and caring for cattle.
They would guard cattle day and night, getting little sleep.
When travelling with a herd, they would sleep on bedrolls that would easily become infested with bugs or lice, and dirt was everywhere so keeping clean was a challenge.
When sleeping at the ranch, a lot of cowboys preferred to sleep out under the stars even when they had the option of a roof over their heads.
Their typical diet was simple; coffee, beans, beef, and bread.
They had their own language including curses, slang, and even words borrowed from Native American languages they picked during visits with tribes.
They relied a lot on their horse to protect them and provide transportation during cattle drives, and they developed close relationships with their horses.
Contrary to Western movies, cowboys carried guns for protection rather than for duels and confrontations.
It could be said that the lifestyle of a cowboy was lonely, gruelling, and rugged.
Why did Cowboys Go on Cattle Drives?
Ranching used to be a very big business, and cowboys helped with running ranches.
Cowboys herded cattle and worked on cattle drives.
A cattle drive is the movement of a large herd of cattle from a ranch to a market place or to a train where cattle would travel to be sold.
A typical drive could be 3500 head of cattle, requiring 18 – 20 cowboys.
The price of cattle was often higher in the North and East of America, so cattle from the South would be moved to these locations.
Cattle drives were a major economic industry in the 1800s. Cattle drives could be both adventurous and dangerous; cowboys would brave storms, river crossings, difficult terrain, and stampedes on trail drives.
Although the Wild West seems like distant history in our society of gadgets and technology, something deep inside me fires up when I imagine a day in the life of a real cowboy.
It inspires me to return some adventure to my life, spend a night under the stars… and maybe add a bandana to my outfit this weekend.