The cowboy image is often portrayed in movies as the rowdy red-stater who's quick to prove himself in any arena, whether it be roping, riding or rebel rousing.
But in the new documentary "Tapadero," the stories and traditions of the California vaqueros, or cowboys, are presented in earnest by framing the "Californios" as humble, hardworking ranch owners and hands who have carried on the traditions of Spanish settlers in 1800s California for generations in an almost sacred exchange.
"Tapadero" makes its Northern California premiere at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Casa Maria at Old Mission San Juan Bautista, 406 Second St., in San Juan Bautista. The Monterey County premiere takes place at noon Dec. 10 at The Monterey Cowboy Poetry & Music Festival, held at the Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza in Monterey.
Co-writers Susan Jensen and Paul Singer, a Santa Barbara-based couple, produced and directed the documentary. The film was born out of the pair's fondness for riding, which led to their discovery of the vaqueros, a distinct brand of cowboy when compared to those in other Western and Southwest states, such as Texas and Utah.
"Texas cowboy culture was different because it revolved around the Anglo-Saxon approach of getting things done," said Singer. "In California, the old Spanish tradition is, getting it done is not enough. You have to do it with style."
In the documentary, the sight of mostly white cowboys using methods and tools designed by Mexican and Spanish ranch hands gives the viewer an understanding of the appreciation modern California cowboys have for their brown-skinned forbearers.
The film's name is taken from the leather stirrup cover that protects the cowboy's boots from brush and thorns. In the film, it is explained that the "tapaderos" are highly sought after by Californios who were willing to trade just about anything, including their women, in an even exchange.
The film talks at great length about the history of the California missions, which doubled as ranches where the original vaqueros grew crops, raised livestock and first developed their technique and skill.
"A lot of people are not totally aware of the history," Singer said. "Everyone thinks of the missions and the development of the missions, but few people know how they sustained them... was through the ranchos."
Nearly 150 years after the first vaqueros settled along the coast, the traditions have remained and, according to the film, are experiencing somewhat of a resurgence due to a new generation of college-educated cowboys.
"There's a revival of these vaquero traditions. Many of the young cowboys are college graduates, so they're studying the old ways and applying it today," Singer said.
Among the other Mexican and Spanish innovations that have been carried on by today's Californios are the use of the reata rope, a 100-foot rope made of hand-braided rawhide.
Taking a whole cowhide and stretching it out tight between hangers before it is cut into spirals, the process is tedious, but also the most effective. A well-made reata rope can last a lifetime, and it is being used by today's younger cowboys who are learning about the traditions at colleges such as California Polytechnic Institute at San Luis Obispo, Jensen said.
Even the horses that were bred for riding by the original Californios, called Spanish Barb horses, are presented in the film.
Of local significance is the story of the Dorrance Ranch near Mount Toro outside of Salinas. The legend of Bill Dorrance, the original owner of the ranch who died in 1999, closes out the documentary. Dorrance was a key figure in the preservation of the vaquero tradition of "feeling the horse," and his method of "seeing things through the horses' eyes" was noted by almost all of the cowboys interviewed in the film. "They were not big marketers of their system, but they were extremely well known through the horse industry," said Jensen.
Dorrance was a quiet-natured man by all accounts, which was also in tune with the California vaqueros known for their laid-back demeanor and attention to detail. It is that ideal that resonates throughout the film, and helps develop a new perspective for viewers.
"They're quiet and humble and laid back and more involved with horses than tooting their own horn," Jensen said of the modern day vaqueros. "They're just very respectful of people and their traditions, and that's what makes them so special."