‘Cowboy und Indianer’ – violent conflict reduced to mere entertainment

By Susanne Reiche & Rachael Farnworth

Held in Munich, Bavaria since 1810, Oktoberfest or "die Wiesn" is one of if not the most renowned annual festival in Germany, maybe even in Europe.  People gather together for sixteen days each autumn from all over Germany and the wider world to consume large amounts of beer, eat traditional German food and dance and sing into the early hours. It could not be a more German event.

Yet, amidst the merriment, is an American West influence in the form of the ‘Cowboy und Indianer’ song; complete with dance moves. The lyrics roughly translate to:

Get your lasso out
Let’s play cowboys and Indians
We’ll ride our horses without resting 
Or having a goal of any sort really
You’ve got me surrounded so I’ll give myself up 
And you can tie me to a giant pole
Come on get out your lasso, 
It will be like the very first time (wink wink nudge nudge)

On first impressions the song’s fast rhythm and upbeat melody makes you want to join in with the seemingly harmless fun, but looking at the lyrics more closely it is hard to ignore the song’s popular notion of “play[ing]” Cowboys and Indians. This led us to consider where this notion actually comes from.  Leaving the fun and games behind, we wanted to focus on the harsh truths that surround this stereotypical idea of ‘Cowboys verses Indians’ that is present in Germany and wider Europe.

When the White settlers sailed over the Pacific Ocean and arrived at the American coast in the 1600s, no one foresaw the lasting consequences that the creation of White settlements would have on the lives of the ‘Indian’s’ that already lived there. Even though the Indians helped the new settlers survive the first harsh winter by providing them with food and showing them how to assimilate to the landscape, the Whites branched out and soon inhabited much of the country; the Indian’s were indeed “surrounded.”

The White’s (or Cowboys) brought with them European traditions and customs, not to mention alcohol – satirical considering this is an Oktoberfest song - and disease, which had detrimental effects on the Native population. The vicious fight between the two groups started due to false treaties, made by the greedy settlers who took advantage of the Indians’ hospitability. What stands out though, is the sheer number of deaths on the Indian side. Many Indians did “give [them]sel[ves] up” after the brutality they faced at the hand of the Cowboys’ “lasso”. Today, this conflict has been turned into a game between two groups, with the Cowboys deemed as the heroic group, despite their actions and the overall harsh reality that the two groups were part of.

The idea of Cowboys riding “[their] horses without resting” could relate to the wide, open country and the freedom and opportunity for White settlers in the West. It could also touch on the Cowboys eagerness to catch the inferior Indians. The song also states that the Cowboys rode after the Indians without a “goal of any sort really”, and maybe there is some truth in this.  Perhaps even some Cowboys at the time viewed the suffering of Indians as nothing more than a necessary game of ‘catch us if you can’. Certainly, the Indians did not view being tied to a pole, and having their country and culture exploited, as just a game. Moreover the euphemistic connotations in the last two lines of the song, which are also reflected in the dance moves, further emphasises the idea of Cowboys and Indians is purely entertaining and is not taken seriously.

Even though there are many ways to enlighten Europeans nowadays and spread the truth about the take over of the Natives’ land by White settlers, it seems that Europeans, including Germans, still view Cowboys and Indians as nothing more than fun; a game between two groups. Perhaps this is the case because people would prefer not to think about the violence, hidden behind the entertainment factor. Consequently, we believe this song reflects the still existent, wide spread ignorance concerning the treatment of the Indians by European settlers and supports the indifference towards the violation of Native Americans, their land and their culture.

Sources:
This International Life blog: http://www.zurika.com/2011/09/the-real-dance-moves-you-need-for-oktoberfest.html

‘How to dance and sing Cowboy und Indianer’ – video: http://youtu.be/9KV8voYSP-w

Oktoberfest Official site: http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/