Cowboy Vernacular
42nd Gathering Featured Artists
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3m 19s
Dakota Robinson helps to translate the language of the range with a crash course in cowboy lingo. Dakota recites "Cowboy Vernacular" during "The Whippersnappers" at the 41st National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dakota Robinson
Round Top, TX
Working on ranches from Texas to Kansas, Wyoming to New Mexico, and back again, Dakota Robinson has experienced firsthand the many challenges and rewards the lifestyle of a cowboy can bring. Inspired by the likes of Baxter Black, Waddie Mitchell, Red Steagall, and Ian Tyson, he soon started filling his solitary hours in the saddle with an internal narrative of prose and rhyme—the cattle, horses, and his wife were among the first victims of his early experimentation. Now a full-time farrier back in Texas, Dakota spends his days shoeing horses to support his poetry habit.
"Cowboy Vernacular"
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Filmed in front of a live audience at the Elko Convention Center’s Laurena Moren Theater on Jan. 30, 2026.
Made possible by the multitude of staff, artists, volunteers, and community members working behind the scenes to make this show happen.
Brought to you by the Western Folklife Center, using story and cultural expression to connect the American West to the world.
www.westernfolklife.org
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