Aloha Rodeo

by David Wolman

  Our group for this weekend excursion consists of retired paniolo, two forest restoration experts, an archaeologist, and a few strays, including the two of us. The trek, which is really a drive mixed with walks and pit stops to “talk story,” will take us up and across the northern flank of the volcano, past abandoned cowboy stations, stone paddocks, hidden caves, and other landmarks that animate the history of ranching on Hawaii.

  At noon the trucks pull into the shade of a eucalyptus grove. About thirty curious cattle mill on the other side of a nearby gate. One of the cowboys opens a cooler and distributes chopsticks and plastic takeout containers of teriyaki chicken or beef with rice and steamed vegetables. Someone else unwraps a block of haupia, a coconut and taro dessert, which he cuts into slices with a pocket knife.

  Everyone eats fast. The old-timers, hands tucked into the front pockets of their blue jeans, lean back against one of the trucks and chat about what the future holds for the paniolo way of life. Some residents of Hawaii, especially those who work or worked in the cattle industry, would like to see the Purdy home preserved and turned into a historic site of some kind or another. The idea is a prickly one, though. To some, honoring an Irish immigrant made famous by his work with animals brought here as objects of imperialism doesn’t exactly qualify as preserving Hawaiian heritage.

  As we stare out over the hillside, a seventy-four-year-old paniolo named Sonny says that there used to be so much more rain here, but in recent decades the climate has become drier, hotter. Climate change will affect Hawaii’s coastline most dramatically, but it’s also predicted to decrease trade winds, throwing rainfall patterns into confusion throughout the islands.

  Since the heyday of ranching in Hawaii, higher and higher costs, combined with cheap production elsewhere, have squeezed the islands’ cattle industry. Over the last half century, many ranches closed, consolidated, or morphed into operations blending horseback-riding tours and conservation. Nonetheless, the island of Hawaii still has tens of thousands of animals on its remaining ranches, and as many as 2,000 feral cattle continue to roam the high country.

  Paniolo, on the other hand, are an endangered species. Most cattle management nowadays is done from the seat of an ATV. When it comes to professional cowboys, those who truly depend on horses for work, there are perhaps thirty left on the island, with maybe another two dozen on Maui.

  Yet rodeo is as popular as ever. Contests and cowboy-themed celebrations run throughout the year and on all the major islands. Local rodeos include po‘o wai u, an event unique to Hawaii, in which contestants race to tie a steer to a post, an echo of the technique once used to tire out feisty bullocks. Despite the small number of working ranches and the limited need for workaday cowboys, Hawaiian high schoolers frequently qualify for the National High School Finals Rodeo on the mainland, and local rodeo fans know the names of island stars like former bull-riding champion Myron Duarte, who won top honors at more than forty of the country’s biggest competitions.

  Meanwhile, Waimea is thriving. The city has a vibrant arts and theater scene, and schoolchildren study in Hawaiian-language immersion schools. Tourism is important, as it is throughout most of the state, although the cooler climate and dearth of beaches mean Waimea’s sidewalks tend to have as many organic farmers and astronomers as they do sunscreened vacationers. (The W. M. Keck Observatory and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope perched atop Mauna Kea both have their main offices here.)

  And paniolo pride is everywhere. The annual Paniolo Parade held each September brings the town of 9,200 to a virtual standstill. Bands and singers march toward the city park, followed by a procession of exquisitely dressed pa‘u riders. In the middle of town, the parade passes by the Parker Ranch Center, a pastel-colored shopping plaza with telltale vertical facades of Old West architecture and stop signs that read WHOA. In one corner of the parking lot stands a life-size statue of Ikua Purdy on horseback, about to fling his lasso toward a running steer.

  ON THE SECOND DAY of the Mauna Kea adventure, the group stops to inspect old homesteads and bullock pits, learn about archaeological excavation sites, and witness firsthand the spread of gorse, a thorny, fast-growing, and invasive shrub that now covers huge swaths of mountainside. But in other areas, Mauna Kea’s story is one of rejuvenation. A massive koa tree, for example, grows directly atop the stone foundation of a nineteenth-century cabin, while elsewhere seedlings of these mighty trees are now protected by fences so cattle can’t get at them.

  That night’s camp is a rarely used cowboy cabin at about 6,000 feet, only a few miles from where Eben Low suffered his near-fatal injury in 1892. Soon after arrival, someone fires up the woodstove to heat water for the furo, the steel-walled tub just large enough for a person. In a shack filled with cut lumber, the small bath could double as a watering trough, but that doesn’t make it any less inviting after a long day on the road—or in the saddle.

  After sunset, a few members of our party don jackets and warm hats to sit outside by a fire and sip whiskey from red Solo cups. The old-timers, opting for warmth, crowd around the table in the kitchen near a blazing woodstove. One of them pulls out a weathered binder full of black-and-white photographs. In one image, a beaming Eben Low stands beside a young girl, probably a granddaughter, seated on a horse. Even for a quick family photo, Eben, always the showman, wore a holster and pistol.

  Everyone nods in agreement about the lasting impact of the 1908 victory in Cheyenne. One experienced hand reiterates just how hard it is to loop a steer while riding downhill at full speed, let alone doing so from far away, and with a huge loop like Ikua used. A part-time paniolo, whose family still runs a ranch above Kailua-Kona, tells how cowboys visiting from the mainland will contact his family, hoping to join a cattle drive: “When they see the lava fields and the steep slope and forest, they’re like, ‘Yikes, we have to drive cattle thru that?’”

  The older generation of paniolo continue their discussion, spreading a map over the table and recalling old Hawaiian names for specific cinder cones, hillsides, and outcroppings. At one point there is talk of a seasonal freshwater spring. The two young resource managers hang on every word, taking careful notes. In addition to rodeo and a proud heritage, this transfer of knowledge is another way that Hawaii’s paniolo are passing the torch. The islands’ cattlemen and -women are experienced stewards of the local environment, and their expertise is invaluable to those whose job is to protect and maintain these lands for future generations.

  After a while, though, it’s time to close the binder and stop taking notes. The old-timers retire to their sleeping bags, while the rest of the group lingers beside the fire pit outside. Someone pulls out a ukulele. While he strums and sings, sparks from the fire rise toward a sky made silver with stars.

  Acknowledgments

  We are grateful for the support, encouragement, and faith of so many people. For research and reporting assistance, a special thank-you to author and longtime Parker Ranch veterinarian Billy Bergin, Momi Naughton at the North Hawaii Education and Research Center, Peter Mills at the University of Hawaii, Mike Kassel at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, and Sam Low. To Phyllis Edwards, sleuth extraordinaire: without your uncanny skills and irrepressible curiosity, this book would be a far lesser work. Thank you to Byrd Leavell at United Talent Agency for championing this project, and Peter Hubbard, our talented and tireless editor at HarperCollins.

  We would also like to thank the staff at the following institutions: American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Wyoming State Archives, Denver Public Library, Hawaii State Archives, Bishop Museum Archives, Kona Historical Society, Multnomah County Library, Stephen H. Hart Library and Research Center, and Tangipahoa Parish Library.

  Chris Higgins, Jason Lathrop, and James Smith read and made helpful comments on early versions of the manuscript, and Nicola Pinson provided crucial insights and endless support.

  Others who gave generously of their time and knowledge include Kala Lindsey A
h Sing, Daniel Akaka, Nick Amphlett, Ku‘ulani Auld, Bill Bergin, Brady Bergin, Marie Bertellman, Carl “Soot” Bredhoff, Adam Burns, Kuali‘i Camara, Wally Camp, Mary Carver, Scott Craven, Leslie Dean, John Deeben, Colene De Mello, Tom Eschelman, Robin Everett, Dave Foreman, Marcie Greenwell, Nahua Guilloz, John Haines, Carla Hanchett, Molly Harris, Wayne Higa, Buddy Hirsig, Glena Hirsig, Tom Hirsig, Joy Holland, Faithy and Roy Horner, Jaidy Jardine, Sonny Keakealani Jr., Erik Klemetti, Philip Lewis, Matt Martin, Jodie Mattos, Rawls Moore, Jennifer Nelson, Andy Nordhoff, Susan Ozawa, Eric Page, Hannah Parris, Ron Powers, Parrish Purdy, Michael Purdy, Walter Ritte, Anthony Roberts, Christine Robertson, Greg Shine, Erik Steiner, David Swanson, Patrick Symmes, C. Kahanuola Tabor, Suzi Taylor, Mace Vaughan, Coert Voorhees, John Waggener, and Bill Woo.

  To the rest of our friends, respective families, and readers everywhere: thank you for making it all worthwhile. Aloha.

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