In the American Wild West, was kicking dirt on fallen foes a sign of respect?

by heliumagency

In the Ballad of Buster Scruggs, there is a scene where someone kicks dirt on his fallen opponent. In the Youtube comments, they state that this is a sign of respect (akin to putting dirt on a burial). Is this true? There was an askhistorians post on this before, but no answers https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/j9rsds/did_people_in_the_old_west_kick_dirt_on_corpses/

itsallfolklore

I have never encountered this in four decades of reading primary sources. That doesn't mean it didn't occur: it is impossible to prove a negative. In addition, the West is the largest region in North America, and the "Wild West" (an imaginary place that people perceive to have included several decades) includes a lot of terrain. Anything is possible. But I doubt it.

Wouldn't be great if someone were to post something from a primary source that would prove me wrong?

All this said, there is a bit of irony in the question - and the source you site: since the Wild West is indeed a place of fiction, I suppose we can assert anything we wish, and it becomes as true as anything else imposed on that fanciful place and time. After all, it is all folklore.