Our tasty lunch stop, Wrangler’s Steakhouse, with a small collection of Paniolo memorabilia Paniolo being the Hawaiian cowboys.
The Hawaiians got some cows from Captain George Vancouver in the early 19th century. King Kamehameha put a kapu on the cows so they multiplied like crazy.
“When “Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III) visited California, then still a part of Mexico he was impressed with the skill of the Mexican vaqueros, and invited several to Hawai`i in 1832 to teach the Hawaiian people how to work cattle.
“Even today, traditional paniolo dress, as well as certain styles of Hawaiian formal attire, reflect the Spanish heritage of the vaquero. The traditional Hawaiian saddle, the noho lio, and many other tools of the cowboy’s trade have a distinctly Mexican/Spanish look and many Hawaiian ranching families still carry the names of the vaqueros who married Hawaiian women and made Hawai`i their home.”