When most people think of Hawaii, they think of a paradise location. They imagine white sandy beaches and surfers. People in bathing suits all year long. What you may not realize is that there is another side to the islands. It is the history of cowboys and it dates back to during the 18th century when they were called Paniolos. There are even some who say that paniolos were corralling in Hawaii before they were trying to tame the west in the United States and it isn’t just men who are cowboying. Women are also happy about being referred to as “paniolos”.
The History of Hawaiian Cowboys
Hawaiian cowboys go back more than 150 years. It all started when George Vancouver, a British Royal Navy officer, brought a gift to King Kamehameha in 1793. It included sheep, a bull, and five longhorns. For a decade, it was not permitted for anyone to hunt them, so the longhorns flourished, became feral, bred into thousands, and soon devastated the local agriculture. John Palmer Parker was entrusted to use an ultramodern American musket to gain control of the cattle. From there, other “bullock hunters” were allowed to come in around 1819 and many of the people who are there now, are descendants of those early hunters. This includes the women who now take part in the many rodeos in the Hawaiian Islands.
Women’s Rodeo
There are several women in the rodeo today who have grandparents and great grandparents that were a part of the original roundup for wild cattle. Some of these ladies start riding horses and doing rodeo things as early as three years old. They enjoy the bond that they develop with their horse and show it off in the way that they take care of it. These women work just as hard as the men in their families and you should show your support by watching the ladies of Hawaii do what they love the most.