Najiah, a high school junior from small-town Oregon, is on a yearslong quest to become the first woman to compete at the top level of the Professional Bull Riders tour.
Najiah Knight is a 17-year-old bull rider with a big dream. She wants to be the first woman to compete at the top level of the Professional Bull Riders tour.
LAS VEGAS (AP) Najiah Knight drops her 100-pound frame onto a snorting 1,300-pound bull and adjusts her ropes, warming the sticky rosin. Music blares across the arena, but Najiah can hear only her d.
Born out of necessity and in mastering skills that came as horses transformed hunting, travel and warfare, rodeo has remained popular in Native American communities. Grandstands often play host to mini family reunions while Native cowboys and cowgirls show off their skills roping, riding and wrestling livestock. It s a lifestyle that s connected to nature and community — values that Oglala Lakota citizen Jessica White Plume says run deep in tribal culture. With each competition, Native Americans make it decidedly theirs. Ornate regalia, blessings bestowed by tribal elders and tribes versions of flag songs are as much staples as big buckles and cowboy hats.
Najiah Knight is a 17-year-old bull rider with a big dream. She wants to be the first woman to compete at the top level of the Professional Bull Riders tour. She’s garnered attention in bull riding circles for years. She’s eligible for the top tour at 18, but the competition is fierce and the sport dangerous. Najiah insists her dream is achievable.