You Know About the Wild West, but Have You Heard of Hawaii’s Cowboys?

Often called paniolos, Hawaii’s cowboys have a wealthy historical past courting again a long time. Now, the islands are working to protect this essential a part of their tradition.

Once you consider cowboys you would possibly consider the Wild West or movie-style shootouts, however not many individuals would consider Hawaii. And but, Hawaiians have a protracted, proud historical past of cattle ranching and cowboys, recognized on the islands as paniolos.

Previously, these paniolos—typically sporting wide-brimmed hats and bandanas slung round their necks—rode by way of Hawaii’s rugged countryside roping wild cattle. They labored on ranches, competed in rodeo occasions, and developed an enchanting Hawaiian subculture that lives on in the present day. 

It began again in 1793 when a British officer named George Vancouver gifted six cows and a bull to King Kamehameha I, marking the arrival of the primary cattle to Hawaii. The King positioned a kapu (Hawaiian guidelines, laws, or code of conduct) on the animals to guard them from being hunted or killed, however with no pure predators, the cattle inhabitants rapidly boomed. These wild cattle started to trigger massive issues; destroying crop fields and native forests, and inflicting injury to villages.

Within the early 1830s, King Kamehameha III was on the throne, and a fledgling beef trade had begun however cattle had been nonetheless working rampant in Hawaii. The King invited three Mexican cowboys, or vaqueros, to the islands to show his individuals tips on how to cope with the cattle. The vaqueros, who had been masters at their craft, taught native Hawaiians tips on how to herd and twine on horseback, changing into the supply of the phrase “paniolo.” Paniolo was the Hawaiian approach of claiming “Espanol” and in time, grew to become the phrase used to check with all Hawaiian cowboys.

By the flip of the century, the Hawaiian islands had been “annexed” by the US after a coup staged in 1893. Conventional-style ranches dotted the panorama and a singular paniolo tradition had emerged, drawing on native Hawaiian values, the vaqueros’ ranching expertise, and European and Asian immigrant traditions.  

“There have been individuals from totally different ethnicities that had been all cowboying in Hawaii, nevertheless once they labored collectively all of them spoke Hawaiian,” explains Justina Wooden, who grew up on SC Ranch in Paauilo Mauka and is at present the Normal Supervisor of the Paniolo Preservation Society. “For all these totally different cultures to come back collectively and worth the Hawaiians and the language goes to point out how essential it’s to protect our paniolo tradition.”

1. Yutaka Kimura, a Huge Island “paniolo” or Hawaiian cowboy, at Parker Ranch, Waimea.Picture Useful resource Hawaii / Alamy Inventory Picture; 2. A Hawaiian paniolo, Kauai, Hawaii.Douglas Peebles Images / Alamy Inventory Picture

The historical past of Hawaii’s paniolos displays its cultural variety. Whereas within the early 1800s, the inhabitants of the islands consisted primarily of native Hawaiians with some American and European settlers, by the early 1900s, immigrants from international locations like Japan, the Philippines, and Portugal lived in Hawaii as laborers on the island’s sugar cane plantations. Native Hawaiian paniolos handed on their expertise to those new Hawaiians, who embraced their traditions and added their very own data. Many aged ranching households in Hawaii can nonetheless hint their ancestry to the Asian, Mexican, and European paniolos who settled on the islands.

The yr 1908 noticed Hawaii’s paniolo obtain worldwide fame, with three paniolos competing within the American rodeo championships in Wyoming. One of many paniolo, Ikua Purdy, whose title stays legendary in cowboy historical past, was named champion steer roper of the world. It was an unimaginable achievement, particularly amidst the racial discrimination of the time, and the second has change into a cornerstone of paniolo tradition and historical past.

This distinctive paniolo tradition has additionally left an indelible mark on trendy island society; its affect might be seen in all places from meals and language to music. For instance, the paniolo pioneered a distinctly Hawaiian type of music generally known as slack-key guitar. It started with the vaqueros, who introduced their guitars over with them from the mainland.  The paniolos developed their very own type of tuning and taking part in the instrument, which developed into slack-key. It’s nearly unimaginable to go to the Hawaiian islands as a vacationer with out listening to its lovely finger-picked melodies, a music that has change into synonymous with Hawaii.

There are nonetheless working ranches in Hawaii in the present day, though not as many as within the trade’s heyday. The Hawaiian cattle trade, as soon as a key financial driver, has dwindled as a result of rising prices of operation. Based on the Hawaii Beef Trade Council, simply 35 years in the past 90% of Hawaiian beef was consumed domestically, however that quantity sits at simply 5.8% in the present day as delivery calves to the mainland, providing higher financial returns than protecting the manufacturing on the islands. Sadly, this has additionally meant Hawaii’s paniolo heritage is in peril, with fewer and fewer coming into the occupation. 

Nevertheless, many individuals—akin to ranchers, trendy paniolos, and organizations just like the Paniolo Preservation Society—are actively combating to maintain their distinctive lifestyle alive. Some working ranches have turned to tourism, providing actions akin to historic excursions, horseback rides, and ATV adventures. Others are specializing in environmental stewardship of the land and preserving Hawaiian ranching practices. Visiting a working ranch in your subsequent Hawaiian vacation is an unforgettable approach to immerse your self within the islands’ little-known historical past and paniolo tradition.

Editor’s Observe: Per the Hawaii Tourism Board, Fodor’s acknowledges “the correct use of the Hawaiian language, ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i,’ which incorporates the ‘okina [‘], a consonant, and the kahakō [ō] or macron.” The Hawai‘i Board on Geographic Names was created to “guarantee uniformity and standardize spelling of geographic names to speak unambiguously about locations, decreasing the potential for confusion.” With the intention to guarantee our readers one of the best expertise studying our Hawaii journey guides, we comply with the standardized spelling, however hope to show readers to the significance and cultural significance of the written Ōlelo Hawai‘i language.