What would otherwise be an empty green space in front of a shopping center has instead become an imaginative symbol of a culture that connects the past to the present in Waimea on the island of Hawaiʻi (aka the Big Island). Located outside of the Parker Ranch Center, a large bronze statue of Ikua Purdy represents the Hawaiian Cowboy image and culture that has attracted the attention of audiences from all over while also becoming an essential element of the community.
Celebrating the Legacy of Paniolo Culture
The first cattle arrived in the Hawaiian Islands in 1793 but they soon overpopulated the area, compelling King Kamehameha III to enlist the services of Mexican cowboys from California. These Hispanic horsemen solved the problem while also converting native Hawaiians into mounted cattlemen who became known as “paniolo,” which is a Hawaiianization of “Espanol.” Paniolo culture had major impact on Hawaii over the following decades.
Born in 1873 at Waimea, Ikua Purdy was born into this culture and came to personify it in a major way when he became winner of the World Steer Roping Championship at the 1908 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. In 1999, Ikua Purdy was voted into the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, the first Hawaiian ever to be nominated. He worked at Parker Ranch, which is one of the oldest and largest cattle ranches in the nation.
Parker Ranch Center is part of the contemporary 250,000-acre Parker Ranch, which was created to serve the needs of the ranchers and their families who made their livelihood on the ranch. The center is home to over 40 stores, restaurants and services. A desire to embrace this rich heritage and paniolo culture compelled the Paniolo Preservation Society to commission monument in Ikua’s honor.
Created by Fred Fellows and installed in 2003, the 27 foot long and 65 ton sculpture shows Ikua roping a wild bull on the slopes of Mauna Kea. The bronze bands that surround the piece pay tribute to past and present families who came from many diverse origins to pioneer ranching in Hawaii. These representations define the imaginative approach to transforming what would otherwise just be an empty space in front of a shopping area into a hub of activity that has created an economic impact and connected a community.
Impacting the Local and Wider Community
Standing as a landmark during the community’s “Waiomina” celebration of the 100th anniversary of the paniolos’ victory in 2008, the Ikua Prudy Monument was relocated to a more prominent site along the highway, underscoring what kind of an impact it has had on the location and for all of Waimea. In connecting the past to the present, the Hawaiian Cowboy showcases how many different ways a monument can create opportunities across communities and eras.
