Santa Barbara County, in its present boundary, is actually a parcel within a rich territory of history that has as a foundation the lifestyle of western ranching, sometimes called the ethics of the cowboy or the culture of the vaquero.
On Saturday, March 6, two local documentary producers—Susan Jensen and Paul Singer of Santa Barbara—screened the sixth in a series of documentaries that captures the authenticity of cowboy ethics and vaquero culture.
It is titled Tierra Encantado and focuses on the establishment of ranching life in New Mexico with the introduction of the horse as the core element in bringing about this unique lifestyle and its code of ethics.
The poignant feature of these documentaries that highlights who we are in present day Santa Barbara County is that our collective heritage derives from a blending of the genius of the Founding Fathers together with the earthy common sense of those who established landmarks that are part of present day.
And it is a heritage that basically guides those in the present day who have the responsibility to preserve the richness of this culture, to do so in a manner that is not about silly egotism, but is rather about the integrity of the stewardship of this wonderful land with a purpose to ultimately serve the public and not to cowardly cower to the selfishness of the self-interest.
This article appears in Mar 18-25, 2010.