The Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West

The Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World's Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West
by David Wolman and Julian Smith
William Morrow, 2019, 242 pages, Nonfiction

Cheyenne, Wyoming, is famous for hosting the biggest rodeo in the West. When it first started, it drew acts like Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show, and sharpshooter Annie Oakley. Surely, this was the place where the prowess of the American cowboy was best on display. But in 1908, three paniolo (cowboys) from Hawaii competed in the Wyoming rodeo as well, and proved that they had just as rich of a cattle tradition as the American West. This is the story not only of an historic event in history, but also of Hawaii’s cattle culture and the rise of the paniolo.

I have to admit that I had no idea that there were cattle on the Hawaiian islands until I read this book. Although this is a microhistory focused on Hawaii’s cattle culture, that culture was wrapped up in the Hawaiian monarchy, in the effects of world trade on Hawaii, and in America’s eventual takeover of the Hawaiian government.

Learning of the complexity of Hawaii’s cattle culture was fascinating, but mostly this book focuses on the prowess of Hawaii’s paniolo, or cowboys, and I gained a lot of respect for them. Hawaiian paniolo had to manage not the rocky terrain of the high desert, but mountainsides made of lava rock and dense with forests. One of Hawaii’s best paniolo spent much of his career with only one hand. This was a fascinating way to learn about the history of Hawaii, and to see how the introduction of ranching in both Hawaii and the American West had both similar and vastly different outcomes.

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