Horsemen embodied the paniolo lifestyle By LESTER CHANG – TGI Staff Writer Ten paniolo were inducted Wednesday night into the Kaua’i and Ni’ihau Cowboy Hall of Fame. The roundup included: – Harold Aiu, who was born on Kaua’i in the
Horsemen embodied the paniolo lifestyle
By LESTER CHANG – TGI Staff Writer
Ten paniolo were inducted Wednesday night into the Kaua’i and Ni’ihau Cowboy Hall of Fame. The roundup included:
– Harold Aiu, who was born on Kaua’i in the 1920s and snared prominence through roping competitions in Hawai’i and the mainland.
Aiu later won roping competitions in California and Oregon. He also competed in the U.S. Team Roping Championship finals in Oklahoma and roped throughout Hawai’i.
In 1995, he won the Century Team Roping contest at the Makawao Rodeo. And in 1998, at the age of 78, he garnered his third trophy saddle in team roping.
As a teenager, Aiu learned about the paniolo lifestyle from his uncles Ernest Apana and Ching Fat. Aiu also worked with his wife’s father, Joseph Kanoa, and her brother, Buddy Kanoa, at the Kekaha Sugar Plantation Range. The roped dangerous wild bulls and tied them to trees in the mountains in Koke’e. The ropers were paid $15 for each animal roped.
Aiu was nominated for last night’s recognition by Bruce Laymon.
– Eddie “Junior” Taniguchi Jr., who is of Hawaiian ancestry and was born in Waimea.
Taniguchi won the “All-Around Cowboy” title for Kaua’i eight times.
Three generations of Taniguchis have worked at the Makaweli Ranch in west Kaua’i. Today, Taniguchi is the ranch foreman.
Taniguchi’s interest in the paniolo life began early. At age 6, he began joining his father, a foreman, on cattle drives up Waimea Valley.
In 1957, the younger Taniguchi started work as a ranch hand, toiling alongside his father.
Taniguchi shares his love for ranching with his family. He teaches his granddaughters how to ride and train horses.
One of his granddaughters, Jessica ‘La’ Morris, became interested in rodeos, and Taniguchi is her coach. Morris competed in the state high school rodeo finals on Big Island, and in July 2000 represented Hawai’i in the national finals in Illinois.
– John “Johnny” Solomon Malina Sr., who was born in Hule’ia and lived from 1885 to 1940. Malina was a cowboy for Kipu Ranch for more than 50 years.
Malina’s fame was earned as a polo player, competing during the heyday when many daredevil paniolo participated in the sport. A member of the elite Kaua’i Polo Team, he played with James M. Spalding, Charles A. Rice and Jay Gould from 1917 to 1923 throughout the Territory of Hawai’i. He was also known for his skill training polo ponies.
As a paniolo, Malina was the ranch foreman for Charlie Rice at Lihu’e Ranch.
Malina was nominated by granddaughter Grace Malina Kamai.
|- John ‘Pili’ Solomon Malina, Jr., who was born in Hule’ia and lived from 1906 to 1968.
At age 12, Malina began working as a cowboy at Kipu Plantation and Ranch.
Malina loved the outdoor life. He played baseball and polo, hunted wild pigs and participated in local rodeos and parades, but continued pursuing his first love – riding and training young horses.
Friends remember he rode horses every day. On Sundays, he took his family riding. He also was remembered as an impressive rodeo performer.
He was nominated by his daughter, Grace Kamai.
– Norman Kalani Ho’okano, who was born in Waimea in 1959. At age 15, Ho’okano began his training as a paniolo under his father, the late Alfred ‘Ohu’ Ho’okano, at Makaweli Ranch, and has been a paniolo for more than 25 years.
His ties to the ranch run deep. Ho’okano is the fourth generation of Ho’okanos, all paniolo, to work at the ranch.
Ho’okano performs frequently at rodeos and parades.
Married with two daughters, Ho’okano was nominated by his sister, Joni Ho’okano.
– Delbert “Kaipo” Kaipoleimanu Ho’okano Sr., born in Waimea in 1968, is a fourth generation Ho’okano employed at Gay & Robinson’s Makaweli Ranch. He has been a full-time paniolo for 13 years, following a way life embraced by his great-grandfather, William Kahookano Uahinui, grandfather Moses Kauhi Ho’okano and father Alfred Kaohu Ho’okano.
Training horses, fencing, and parading or entering rodeos is a way of life he enjoys.
Ho’okano is married with three children and hopes one of his children will inherit the family’s cowboy skills.
Ho’okano was nominated by sister Joni Ho’okano.
– Manuel Andrade was born in 1919 in Kalaheo. As a young child, he learned about cattle ranching from his father and grandfather. By age 17, he started his own ranch, the OK, with cattle he bought.
He milked cows to provide fresh milk for his family and worked on the ranch after working at another full-time job. His ranch grew as he invested in leased lands and more cattle.
At age 24, Andrade and his father entered rodeos in Wailua and won the All Around Cowboy title. Andrade also trained winning racehorses.
Andrade’s two sons continue to manage and operate a slaughterhouse that has been passed from generation to generation at OK Ranch.
Andrade was nominated by his family.
– Manuel S. Andrade, who was born in Lihu’e and lived from 1896 to1983.
Andrade began his cowboy career working for Gay & Robinson in Pakala as a gardener during his teenage years.
Exhibiting skills in roping learned from his father, he was hired as a full-time cowboy for Makaweli Ranch, later opening his own ranch in Kalaheo.
Andrade participated in cattle drives from Hanakoa Valley to holding pens in Ha’ena. The cattle were then transported to the Robinson’s ranch in Pakala.
Andrade was also one of the charter members and supervisor of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) Camp in Koke’e during the 1930s. He taught and trained teenagers to work in the forests of Koke’e.
Andrade was nominated by his family.
– Jose “Joe” Kanoa, who ws born on Maui in 1900 and lived until 1967, came to Kekaha after graduation from grammar school and was employed for two years in the sugar industry.
Later, as a member of the National Guard, Kanoa was called into military service during World War I.
After the service, Joe returned to Kekaha to become a paniolo for the Knudsen brothers. In those days, the paniolo helped ship cattle by driving them into the ocean at Waimea Landing to awaiting steamships offshore. He also went on cattle drives from Kalalau Valley with Manuel Andrade Sr.
Kanoa became associated with Kekaha Sugar Co. when it was taken over in 1923 by Knudsen Ranch, and was promoted to ranch foreman in 1928.
He was recognized not only for his techniques in raising cattle, but preparing beef laulau.
Kanoa was nominated by Mervin Kanoa.
– Francis Gay, who was born in New Zealand and was of Scottish ancestry, lived from 1852 to 1928.
Gay and his cousin, Aubrey Robinson, formed a partnership as Gay & Robinson at Makaweli in 1889 for cattle ranching and sugar cane cultivation.
Gay worked as the ranch manager while Robinson, a lawyer, managed the business affairs.
The two family members grew cotton and raised bees.
Gay spoke fluent Hawaiian and was a scholar, collecting information on legends and placenames associated with the Makaweli property from paniolo he employed and Hawaiian tenants.
After retirement, Gay sold his interests in Gay & Robinson to his cousin and his sister Alice, who had married Aubrey.
Gay was nominated by Aletha Goodwin Kaohi and Chris Faye.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
