Paniolo - Hawaii's Cowboy History at Hawaii's Horse Resource, Paniolo-Country.com.

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Links and Articles about Hawaii's Paniolo "Hawaiian Cowboys at the Cheyenne Rodeo" "Ikua Perdy Story" "The History of Parker Ranch" "Paniolo Hall of Fame" "Paniolo O Hawaii: Cowboys of the Far West" "Lana‘i Ranch: The People of Ko‘ele and Keomuku" "Na Paniola Pipi - The Hawaiian Cowboy"	*History of the Palaka:* The background print on my webpages are Palaka. Palaka is the Hawaiian transliteration of the word "frock" after the long-sleeved, loose-fitting denim work shirts worn by sailors. To function in Hawaii's climate, the sleeves were cut short and the shirt-tails cut off so the shirt could be worn untucked. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the plantation economy had become dominant in the Hawaiian Islands. Plantation workers needed a rugged shirt that was suitable for hard labor in the fields. Within a generation the checkered blue and white denim palaka became the standard work shirt of Hawaii.
	My Paniolo Family My Uncle, Claude Ortiz is a Paniola through and through. Giving me my first pony at age 9, he has influenced so much of my life. Always with his palaka shirt and hat, his image comes to mind when I think of the Paniola. My Uncle always scolds, saying "Not Paniolo! It is Paniola!" However, both forms are accepted today as the Hawaiian word for "cowboy". When arriving in the mainland for a special event, a man approached him and said, "you must be the cowboy from Hawaii". When my Uncle replied, "yeah, how'd you know?". He said, "because you guys always got flowers on your hats!" This man is a master leather crafter and he taught me the leather craft trade. Accepting his legasy is a great honor. His picture has graced the cover of the book, "Aloha Cowboy". It is a great book that is currently out of print but can be found on www.amazon.com. It has great pictures and tells about the history of the Paniolo (Paniola).
History of the Po'o Waiu Paniolo relied on their horse to aid in the roundup of wild pipi (cattle) from the mountains of the Hawaiian islands. When he successfully roped a bull he would "dally up" around the horn of his saddle and work the bull over to a stong tree or stump. The Paniolo would wrap his rope around the tree and pull the animal flush against the trunk. Then he would dismount and secure the bull's horns to the tree or stump using a short hand rope. Each animal was captured this way making things tedious and dangerous for both horse and rider. There the bull would remain until morning when the paniolo would return with several tame bullocks, called pin bullocks, which would lead the wild pipi back to the holding pen for slaughter or sale. While working, the paniolo and horses usually camped along the mountain slopes near a stream for water. By the mid 1800's this method of catching cattle prevented the paniolo from keeping up with the growing demand for beef. Raising domesticated Longhorns and cattle became easier and saved on time. Catching wild cattle in the method of Po'o Waiu has now become a rodeo event which is unique to Hawaii.
"Way of the Noho Lio" - Hana Hou Magazine An excellent article about David Fuertes, master saddle maker from Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. Come to find out he is nephew to Claude Ortiz, my uncle too! Small state huh?	History of the Hawaiian Tree Saddle Hawaiian Tree saddles have a very unique look and purpose. The single peice of rawhide stretched over the slick fork swells gave the saddle extra strength for dallying those wild Pipi. Much of Hawaii's cowboy influence came from the Spanish who were brought to Hawaii to teach natives to ride and control the growing wild cattle population. But Hawaiians needed a saddle that could withstand the ocean. These saddles needed to be able to ride fully submersed into the ocean and back out again when the Paniolo would "swim" the cattle to awaiting boats. The design of the Hawaiian Tree saddle allowed for this with minimal use of leather. The rahide over the horn and swells were braided to form the rigging for the cinch. With little or no seat leather to worry about, the sea water would just run right through the saddle. The skirts of the saddle lack fleece which would act like a sponge holding water. Instead just skirting leather is used. Instead of nails or screws, the skirts are attached with leather tugs. Hawaiian Tree saddles have been known to outlast many modern day saddles today. Some say this saddle is designed to fit almost any horse and is also comfortable to ride in. Whether you have ridden one or not, you cannot deny the strength of these saddles! Many Hawaiian Tree saddles have such beautiful tooling they are displayed simply as art!