Portland Public Library

Aloha rodeo, three Hawaiian cowboys, the world's greatest rodeo, and a hidden history of the American West, David Wolman and Julian Smith

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-231) and index

contains biographical information

platesillustrationsmaps

index present

non fiction

Aloha rodeo

bibliography

1101966176

David Wolman and Julian Smith

three Hawaiian cowboys, the world's greatest rodeo, and a hidden history of the American West

Traces the role of three Hawaiian cowboys who became champions at the 1908 Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo, detailing how their careers influenced post-annexation Hawaiian identity, island ranching, and the rodeo culture of CheyenneAugust 1908. Three unknown riders arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming to compete in the world's greatest rodeo. Steer-roping virtuoso Ikua Purdy and his cousins Jack Low and Archie Ka'au'a had traveled 4,200 miles from Hawaii to test themselves against the toughest riders in the West. Dismissed by whites, who considered themselves the only true cowboys, the native Hawaiians would astonish the country, returning home champions-- and American legends. Wolman and Smith show that the three paniolo were in fact the product of a deeply engrained Hawaiian cattle culture. The young Hawaiians brought the pride of a people struggling to preserve their cultural identity and anxious about their future under the rule of overlords an ocean away. -- adapted from jacket

Introduction: Proving ground -- High steaks -- Ferae naturae -- The empire -- Holy city of the cow -- An attractive and novel program -- Warriors to wranglers --Showtime -- The rider -- Cowboy King of the Islands -- A royal good time -- Go fetch your glory -- See America first -- Opening day -- A lesson in how to handle steers -- Gems of the sea -- Epilogue: On the mountain