'Aloha Rodeo' Book Illuminates The History Of Hawaiian Cowboys
In 1908, three riders from Hawaii came to compete in the biggest rodeo in America — Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Their abilities stunned spectators unaware of Hawaii’s cattle culture.
Here & Now‘s Peter O’Dowd talks to authors Julian Smith (@Julianwrites) and David Wolman (@davidwolman) about their new book, “Aloha Rodeo: Three Hawaiian Cowboys, the World’s Greatest Rodeo, and a Hidden History of the American West.”
Book Excerpt: ‘Aloha Rodeo’
The new world’s first cowboys were called vaqueros, from the Spanish vaca, for cow, and querer, to love. Vaqueros wore clothes that combined practicality with ornamentation: hats with wide upturned brims, low-heeled boots with jingling metal spurs decorated with silver, and pants adorned with bright buttons up the seams. Their skills at riding, roping,
