Papago Indian Rodeo ....Sells, Arizona - November 10th & 11th, 1945

After being suspended during World War II, the Papago Indian Rodeo resumed for Veteran's Day in 1945 in honor of the 360 men and women who went to war and the 17 who would not return.

A color guard presented the flags and those servicemen and women who were on hand formed a V for Victory in the center of the rodeo grounds.

The flag in the center of the judge's stand bears two numbers ~ 360 in honor of those who served and 17 in memory of those who would never return.

Internationally famous newsreel cameraman Charles W Herbert was on hand to photograph the event for Universal Pictures. These stills taken from his original 35mm nitrate camera negative show the scenes described in his "cameraman's dope sheet" which is at the Arizona Historical Society in Tucson along with 35,000 feet of his movie films.

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""Steer riding, calf roping, close up of announcer, general views and close ups of crowds in grandstand"

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The Papago People, their Rodeo Association, and the United States Indian Service welcome you to the 1945 Papago Indian Rodeo. This is our first celebration since we went to war in 1941. Our young men have begun returning from Italy and Germany, from the South Pacific and the Philippines. To those who have come back to us, and to the 17 men of our Tribe who will never return, we dedicate our first post-war Rodeo.

Jose Ignacio, Chairman, Papago Tribal Council - Richard Hendricks, Chairman, Papago Rodeo Association - Moris Burge, Superintendent, Papago Indian Agency

The Native Americans once known as Papago now prefer to be called Tohono O'odham, but what will never change is the profound effect that military service has had on all Native American Tribes. In honor of the many contributions of those brave Americans in service to their country, a display of these priceless images taken by Charles W Herbert at that rodeo so long ago, was presented on Veteran's Day in 1996 at the Sells Hospital grounds. The cost of reproducing the images was sponsored by the Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service and the images were later donated to the Cultural Affairs Office of the Tohono O'odham Nation.

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