Indian Rodeo Cowboy Association

Region 1

CLIFFORD MANY GUNS

Siksika Nation’s Newest Rodeo Legend

Written by:   Mark Wolfleg Jr.

 

During the days of Indian residential school life, all students were involved in sports and recreation.  Competition was intense when it came down to being selected on the school team.  Team members achieved a certain status in the school, and the reservation community.  Many sports events were played at the Indian schools.  However, rodeo was one sport excluded from Indian schools.  In the late 1950’s  the St. Mary’s residential school on the Kainai reserve inaugurated the first Indian junior rodeo in Canada.

One upcoming Siksika rodeo cowboy, Clifford Many Guns, missed this great opportunity to compete against his friends in Indian school.  He concentrated on the sport of rodeo.  He was an eager participant in bareback riding, steer decorating, and even tried his hand in the dangerous art of bull riding.  He also entered the team events, of wild cow-milking and the wild horse race.

By the time Clifford reached the age of twenty, he began attending the amateur rodeo circuits of Alberta.  He began following the footsteps of noted Siksika cowboys—Albert One Runner, Dick Brass, Mark Wolfleg Sr., Ed Yellow Old Women, Adrian Stimson Sr., and the Solway boys, Reil, John and Adam.  He became the youngest member to join the Bow Valley Roping Club, founded by professional cowboys Wood Downey, Roy Downey, and Mark Wolfleg Sr.  When he was 22 years old, he acquired his permit card with the Cowboys Protective Association (C.P.A.).  This association later became known as the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys Association (C.R.C.A.), and now it is known as the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (C.P.R.A.).

We must not forget that Clifford was not only a cowboy but he was raised in Siksika (Blackfoot) culture, while growing up on his parent’s farm and ranch.  His father, Thomas Many Guns, was one of the last group of rough and tumble ranch cowboys, from the early 1900’s.  His mother was Josette (nee: Melting Tallow) formerly of the Kainai reserve.  His father and mother taught him the life and stories of the Blackfoot people before the Europeans came.  He hardly ever missed the annual Blackfoot Sundance, where the people would visit, play, laugh, tell stories, pray, and enjoy the ceremonies.  He liked doing the late night serenade with other riders starting off with a big wide circle around the outer circle of the Sundance encampment.  All the riders would sing and, with each round, the circle would get smaller until they reached the camps just before sunrise.

After the Sundance was over, Clifford would do some haying before heading out on the rodeo trail again.  Many Guns would hitch rides with other reservation cowboys to the amateur rodeos.  Times would get pretty rough, financially, because in those days there weren’t many financial sponsors, especially in Canada.  Clifford traveled with other young Siksika cowboys such as Thomas Jerry, Joseph (Butch) Medicine Shield, Joe Patrick, Chester McMaster, Jimmie Monroe, George Cardinal, and Irvin Brass.

Amidst all this cowboying, he found the time to play hockey and entered the sport of Boxing.  He became a carded professional boxer in the Western Canadian Heavyweight Division.  In later years he started the Blackfoot Boxing Club and the Blackfoot Minor Hockey Association.  Because of his deep rooted family tradition of ranchers and sportsmen, Many Guns gave many hours of his time to promoting and helping young cowboys and athletes.

Clifford made every effort to learn the techniques of the rodeo world, from the barn gatherings to the administration level.  He studied and absorbed everything that might come in handy in the future.  He befriended rodeo executives, rodeo clowns, professional and amateur cowboys, rodeo stock contractors, and even rodeo groupies.  During this same period, he began assisting and advising other upcoming Indian rodeo cowboys such as Melvin and Andrew Solway, Mark Wolfleg Jr., George Medicine Shield, Matthew Youngman, Clarence Big Eye, Steve Spotted Eagle and Andy Axe.  More recently, he assisted and encouraged three well known Siksika cowboys that have broken into the professional ranks, namely Classy Back Fat, Allison Red Crow, and his grandson, Marlon Many Guns.  Many Siksika people tell of Clifford’s influence in making very young people attracted to the sport of rodeo.  He even assisted kindergarten and elementary age children to play with stick horses and ride a barrel, which he set up for their school.  It must of have paid off because today the Siksika Nation has a few steer wrestlers, bronc and bull riders, in the amateur ranks and in the professional rodeo world.

He was an active participant in rodeo for 32 years, from 1950 to 1982.  When he retired from active competitive, he spent many hours in rodeo committee meetings, board meetings, and a host of other meetings promoting rodeo.  Clifford was instrumental in the development and founding of the Blackfoot Rodeo Club in 1964.  This paved the way for a legacy of 43 consecutive years of producing rodeos at Siksika Nation.  Clifford has also been a valuable asset to the Indian Rodeo Cowboy Association (I.R.C.A.) of southern Alberta headquarter near Cardston on the Kainai (Blood) Indian Reservation.  In addition, he has staged and promoted rodeos endorsed by Indian Rodeo Cowboy Association (I.R.C.A.), the Foothills Cowboys Association (F.C.A.), the Canadian Rodeo Association and Little Britches and other amateur rodeos.  He also assisted his daughter, Jeanette, in the All Girls Rodeo Association.

Many Guns developed solid principles and a committed foundation in politics through the rodeo world.  He trained and worked with the R.C.M.P. and was the Chief of Tribal Police for the Siksika Nation for ten years.  He was elected a council member of the Siksika Nation Chief & Council for the next eighteen years.  He was the president of the Blackfoot Rodeo and Agriculture Society for 35 years.

Clifford married Rosaline Wells, from the Kainai (Blood) Reserve, and lived together for 51 years on their ranch located approximately five miles south of Gleichen, Alberta.  They have six children and raised one granddaughter Candace.  The eldest, Clifford Wells, works at the Kainai School and train horses, and steer wrestles in the Senior Pro Rodeo Association.  His second oldest is Thomas (Frenchy) Many Guns, professional bull rider and steer wrestler, who has retired from Rodeo competition but owns and operates the Okan Guest Ranch.  Eldest of the girls is Eulalia Running Rabbit who is a substitute teacher’s aid at the Crowfoot School.  After Eulalia is Lavina Crossguns who acquired her Masters of Art Degree in Leadership & Administration and presently teaches Siksika Language and Culture and Aboriginal Studies at the Old Sun Community College.  Incidentally, she is the new president of the Blackfoot Rodeo Club.  Second youngest is Wayne (Cowboy) Many Guns (decreased), who was an accomplished professional bull rider and an all around athlete.  The youngest of the family is Jeanette (Jinks) Many Guns who is an incredible cowgirl.  She works in the tourism department at the Siksika Interpretive Centre, and during the summer, operates the Banff Interpretive Centre.  She coordinates events such as drumming and dancing every Tuesdays during these months.  Twice she made it to the National Finals in Soboba, California and Billings, Montana in the breakaway roping.  Jinks has her ranch just a mile south of her parent’s ranch.

Clifford was very proud of his reserve and the Siksika people.  His many accomplishments in rodeo will be remembered by Siksika people and other cowboys in Canada and the United States.  His love of rodeo was one of the highlights of his life, especially in spearheading the spirit of rodeo on the Siksika Nation and his hopes and dreams were to make sure that rodeo continues as a tradition for future generations of Siksika cowboys and cowgirls.  His house is adorned with rodeo and cowboy memorabilia and has that little Siksika Nation country atmosphere.

Clifford Many Guns was called home by the Great Spirit on Sunday, August 12th, 2007.  It was fitting tribute for him to leave us at the end of another successful annual Rodeo put on by the Blackfoot Rodeo Club.  As a great builder of successful rodeos on the Siksika Nation, Clifford embodies the “can do” attitude of a true LEGEND of RODEO.  We salute you...