The Courageous Cowgirls of Montana

NUSRAT ON THE ROAD IN AMERICA.
Starting April 7, 2019 Nusrat is on the road in the American heartland visiting small towns, meeting ordinary people to bring their stories to the rest of country and the world.

Photo: Nusrat Durrani Delighted to spend time today with Greta, Gabriele and Jordan- a new generation of women ranchers in the Blackfeet Indian Reservation east of Glacier National Park in Montana where we are shooting a film on aninspiring family of ranchers.

Blackfeet Reservation, Montana

For city folk like me, it’s hard enough to be exposed to rural America, but it was particularly inspiring to meet young women so passionate about the land, the environment and animals their families toil so hard on, and the symbiotic, deep and spiritual relationship they have with their habitat. It is a tragedy that the West as well as cowboy culture are always associated with men and machismo.

Articulate, educated and opinionated, not to mention hard-working, the three friends told me about their childhoods on the farm, the magic of growing up in magnificent Montana helping their families, the harsh winters and unforgettable springs, the solitude of ranch life, the smell and touch of earth and wind and rain, the animals they grew up with, the rodeos and horses and bear traps and why they’d never consider leaving. And as Greta said, every American should spend a month in Montana to discover its greatness. I think everyone should spend time with young, optimistic and empowered women like the ones I met today. It would be hard to remain cynical about our country if we did.

Photo: Nusrat Durrani