Subdeacon Joe Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 The other Georgia. Quote The Georgian newspaper, Tsnobis Purtsely, reported: “They are paid 100 rubles per month and are given a wonderful chance to see the world.” To put that in perspective, the price of a cow in Georgia in those days was 3-5 rubles. The United States proved to be a challenge for the riders. Makharadze said they faced a language barrier and a culture that was alien to them. They also had an identity problem, with the show’s promoters billing them as “Russian Cossacks”. They knew it was just a publicity stunt, but the Georgians had troubling reconciling the idea that they had to perform under the usurper empire’s flag. Their homeland was part of the Russian Empire at that time, with the Czar having annexed Georgia in 1801. Soviet Russia did the same thing in 1921. Until their overseas adventure, most of the riders had never even traveled outside their native villages and had not even been to their country’s capital, Tbilisi. Makharadze said they were impressed by the Western world, especially so the US. Rider Kirile Khoperia reported back home that they were living in “very tall buildings” and got to their floor by tiny “moving rooms” (elevators). He mentioned the unusual clearness and order in the streets. Another rider, Giorgi Chkhaidze, told his relatives that Chicago streets were cleaned and buffed every single morning. The Gurian men struggled hard to cling to their roots as their performances grew to became the most spectacular part of the Wild West shows. Their fans came to include Queen Victoria, Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt attended a show in Chicago and was so fascinated by Giorgi Chkaidze’s performance that he presented him with a golden ring and a tray as a token of his esteem. The Georgians’ riding style, called dzhigitovka – a Turkic word taken to mean skillful and courageous rider – or jiriti in Georgian, changed the whole concept of trick riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 What they got in the breast pockets of their coats? I used to think it was cartridges, but looking at that picture, unless they were shooting 20 mm cannon I don't think those are cartridges. Cigars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 34 minutes ago, Alpo said: What they got in the breast pockets of their coats? I used to think it was cartridges, but looking at that picture, unless they were shooting 20 mm cannon I don't think those are cartridges. Cigars? Cartridges. A tube that holds powder and ball. "Gazyr - Wikipedia" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gazyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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