"Earlier this fall, VBS.TV went to the Four Corners region of the United States to hang out with indigenous cowboys of the Navajo (Diné) tribe.

These riders were all from the Triple B Association -- a bronc-riding, bull-riding and barrel-racing league catering to the Native American community of the U.S. Southwest.

Given the difficult economic circumstances under which most of these cowboys and their families live, it's an unusual portrait of Americana in the 21st century.

Early this year, it was reported that more than 56 percent of Navajos live below the poverty line, one of the highest rates in the U.S., even among the traditionally marginalized indigenous communities.

Add to that a frightening unemployment rate climbing above 50 percent --disconcertingly higher than the national rate, which hovers around 9.5 percent --and the picture is extremely bleak. Many of these families throughout New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado also lack electricity, running water or telephones.

Still, theirs is a spiritually rich culture, based on family-operated, small-scale farming and ranching."

Get the Story:
A day in the life of a Navajo cowboy (VBS.TV / CNN 11/23)