Round dance crowd gives mutton buster big send-off

(Times photo - Donovan Quintero)

Wooly rider Jaron Yazzie, 5, of Farmington, joins the round dance Saturday night in Shiprock. Yazzie is competing this week at the Ft. Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in Ft. Worth, Texas.

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T he singers and dancers at the Honoring the Drum Round Dance showed their support for mutton buster Jaron Yazzie Saturday night.

Yazzie, 5, of Farmington, is competing at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo this week and his extended family who participate in the powwow world decided to honor the little rider with a song before he left.

Derrick Keeswood, a member of the drum groups Mile Post 30 and Southern Outlawz of Hogback, N.M., led 23 singers in a song composed by J.R. Keeswood and famously called "The Escalator."

"He's the youngest of three," said Shawn Yazzie, Jaron's father. "We're going to leave on Monday and he will be competing on Wednesday night in what they call 'Bulls Night Out.'"

Results of his ride were unavailable at press time Wednesday.

Jaron is the son of Shawn and Antoinette Yazzie of Farmington. He is Chíshí (Navajo-Apache), born for Tábaahá (Edge Water Clan). He is a kindergarten student at Esperanza Elementary.

"This is his first year (in rodeo)," Shawn said. "His grandpas back in the day were hardcore rodeoers."

The young rider grew up on stories of his grandfathers' rodeo exploits, but his folks were still surprised when he announced that he wanted to follow their footsteps, said his dad.

"Right now, we're doing all that we can to learn about rodeos," Shawn said.

Following the honor song, Jaron stood next to his father as relatives from the powwow circuit approached and encouraged him to do well.

Jaron is familiar with competition - he's a powwow fancy dancer in the tiny tots age group - and his father is a singer with two drums, Southern Outlawz and Young Bird of Pawnee, Okla.

When asked if he was looking forward to competing in a new arena in the rodeo world, Jaron shyly responded, "Yes."

To thank the audience and the singers for honoring him, Jaron  - all 3 feet of him - walked into the arena and waved his cowboy hat.

He was met with what may have been the night's biggest cheer.

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