[Editor’s note: PBR riders Sean Willingham and McKennon Wimberly are in Hawaii this weekend along with stock contractor Mesa Pate to participate in a series of western-lifestyle events sponsored by the Paniolo Preservation Society and the Hawaii Tourism Authority. The PBR, which has held two events on the Islands and is looking to include more in the future, is honored to help celebrate the unique and rich cowboy culture of our 50th state.]

The first cattle in Hawaii came from the Spanish Mission in Monterey, Calif., in 1793. The black longhorns were a gift from Captain George Vancouver to King Kamehameha I. In 1803, the king received the islands’ first horses as a gift from Richard Cleveland.

The cattle became an important trade product for the island nation with other countries like Chile, but they were increasingly difficult to control, and the feral cattle quickly multiplied and roamed freely – in a large part due to a 10-year kapu (ban) on killing the cattle so a herd could be established.

Englishman John Palmer Parker came to Hawaii (he jumped ship) in 1809 and befriended the king. In 1847 he was given several acres on the island of Hawaii and married into the royal family. Parker grew his ranch, eventually herding thousands of feral cattle on thousands of acres of land.

In 1830, King Kamehameha III had vaqueros from Latin America come to the islands to help with the cattle. They were called paniolos, a word probably derived from the word Espanoles (Spaniards) and reflecting the language spoken by these early cowboys. These immigrants taught the Hawaiians their cowboy ways, and as other immigrant groups came to Hawaii over the years, they also enriched the cowboy culture. Parker Ranch is now about 150,000 acres, but at one time may have been as big as 500,000 acres.

In addition to the Big Island, ranches were also established on the other islands (which had been united under King Kamehameha I through warfare with the kings of Maui, Oahu and Molokai and a treaty with the king of Kauai). As the ranches developed, so did the industries related to them – blacksmiths, saddle makers, etc. In many ways, they were similar to towns in the West during that period.

In 1908, a group of Hawaiian cowboys traveled to Cheyenne, Wyo., for the greatest rodeo of the day. A crowd of 12,000 watched Ikua Purdy, Eben “Rawhide Ben” Low and Archie Kaaua win the top roping awards at the world-famous rodeo. Purdy won the Steer Roping Championship in 56 seconds (and they used full-grown steers back then). Kaaua and Low took third and sixth place. Low’s finish was especially impressive, considering he’d had his left hand severed in a roping accident years earlier. The Hawaiian cowboys reportedly wowed their fellow cowboys with their skills and warm personalities at the 12th Cheyenne Frontier Days.

The paniolos developed some unique skills and techniques in Hawaii, such as breaking horses in the ocean in several feet of water. The horses quickly tired of trying to buck off their riders and the process went much more smoothly than on dry land.

The cowboy culture continued to evolve in Hawaii over the next century, with unique hats, chaps and saddles being used. There was food, music and traditions that developed completely unique to Hawaii’s cowboys.

The PBR has held two events in Hawaii over the years. The islands produced some outstanding bull riders, including Myron Duarte (from Maui) and more recently Zack Brown (from Oahu). There are regular rodeos on most of the islands to help produce new talent. Parker Ranch hosts events at their arena year-round. The Gibson family has kept Hawaii’s rodeo history alive on the island of Oahu. Dee Gibson started Saddle City in 1959 which was an old-west style main street where they’d put on shoot-outs and an arena where they held events.

In 1964 Dee’s son Bud started Town and Country Stables with the goal of making a world-class rodeo arena and equine facility. Jim Shoulders, Casey Tibbs, Donny Gay and Lane Frost were among the legends who competed at these events.

The cattle industry will continue to change and evolve in Hawaii. It’s appropriate that “western culture” developed and thrived as geographically west as you can get in the United States – in one of the most remote chain of islands in the world.

[Pictured: Ikua Purdy statue in Waimea]

— by Susan Bedford

[Susan Bedford is editor of The American Bucking Bull magazine, the official magazine of the ABBI. Visit americanbuckingbull.com for more information.]