Equifest Program 2022

SPECIAL DEMOS Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers

Saturday March 19 at 4:30pm w Performance in TPEC Arena Saturday March 19 at 2:00pm w Stories by Barrie Tompkins on 4H Stage Sunday March 20 at 12:15pm w Performance in TPEC Arena Buffalo Soldier Memorabilia on display in Kenwood Hall

history of the cavalry, includ- ing where they got their name. “The Native Americans noticed that the hair on the hump of the buffalo looked like the hair on the black man. So they started calling them the Buffalo Soldiers, not out of making fun of them, but out of great respect for them.” After President Truman desegregated the U.S. mili- tary in 1948, the Buffalo Soldiers’ days were num- bered. The all-black units were disbanded in 1953. However, their legacy

Buffalo Soldiers were African-American regiments of the Army that were created in 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They served in peacetime Indian wars, the Spanish-American War, both World Wars, and the Korean War. “We started the Nicodemus Buffalo Soldier Association in 1995 with the purpose of bringing the African-Americans in the West to life,” First Sergeant Barrie Tompkins said. The small town of Nicodemus in northwest Kansas Graham County was founded by newly freed slaves in 1877. Some early residents of Nicodemus served as Buffalo Soldiers who fought Indians, captured cattle rustlers and thieves and protected stagecoaches, wagon trains and railroad crews, Buffalo Soldiers from Nicodemus served in the 24th Infantry Regiment and the 9th and 10th Calvary Regiments.’ The Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers Association was formed in 1995 by Commander Barrie Tompkins. Members began participating in historical re-enactments across the coun- try. They were the first park rangers for Yosemite National Park. Geronimo, Sitting Bull, Billy the Kid, and Poncho Villa are people Buffalo Soldiers actually encountered or caught and never got the recognition. Buffalo Soldiers had the lowest desertion rate, the highest enlistment rate, and their alcohol rate was zero because no town would serve them. The Nicodemus Buffalo Soldier Association strives to keep their performances as historically accurate as possible. According to Tompkins, the group wants to educate spec- tators on the soldiers who weren’t written about in history books. “You get a chance to actually see and meet Buffalo Soldiers in authentic uniforms on horseback,” Tompkins said. “Of course, we are not from the 1800s, but we want to do everything historically accurate as close as we pos- sibly can, to give you that feeling.” After performing drills on horseback, the re-enactors try to give the audience the chance to ask questions about the

Barrie Tompkins

endures. Twenty three Buffalo Soldiers received the Congressional Medal of Honor. They’re the highest deco- rated cavalry regiment in all of U.S. military history. Buffalo Soldiers helped settle the West. They strung tele- graph lines. They delivered the mail when Pony Express ended. Their contributions are numerous and great. First Sergeant Barrie Tompkins and several members of the Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers Association appeared in two TNT movies. They were filmed in Teddy Roosevelt Roughriders starring Sam Elliot and also appeared in Buffalo Soldiers with Danny Glover. The Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers Association presents an important part of history most never knew about. Excerpts from an article by Frank J. Buchman, WIBW News, March 3, 2021.

24 v 2022 EquiFest of Kansas Official Program

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