They were the product of a deeply engrained cattle culture that was twice as old as that of the Great Plains, for Hawaiians had been chasing cattle over the islands’ rugged volcanic slopes and through thick tropical forests since the late 1700s. What few understood when the three paniolo rode into Cheyenne is that the Hawaiians were no underdogs. Dismissed by whites, who considered themselves the only true cowboys, the native Hawaiians would astonish the country, returning home champions-and American legends.Īn unforgettable human drama set against the rough-knuckled frontier, David Wolman and Julian Smith’s Aloha Rodeo unspools the fascinating and little-known true story of the Hawaiian cowboys, or paniolo, whose 1908 adventure upended the conventional history of the American West. Steer-roping virtuoso Ikua Purdy and his cousins Jack Low and Archie Ka’au’a had travelled 4,200 miles from Hawaii, of all places, to test themselves against the toughest riders in the West. In August 1908, three unknown riders arrived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, their hats adorned with wildflowers, to compete in the world’s greatest rodeo. “Wolman and Smith’s masterful Aloha Rodeo is like uncovering a beautiful fresco you never knew was there, each turned page revealing another vivid and colorful piece of a true American West story that had lain long buried until now.” -SALLY JENKINS I loved this book, truly.” -SIMON WINCHESTER "An inspiring and impeccably crafted story of against-all-odds triumph. The lost story of the native Hawaiian cowboys who became rodeo champions, challenging the mythology of the American West
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