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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Sunday, April 24, 2005

BOOKMARK
Parker Ranch: history, people, land

By Wanda Adams
Assistant features editor

On a cowboy theme today, three recent books:

"LOYAL TO THE LAND The Legendary Parker Ranch," 750-1950 by Dr. Billy Bergin; University of Hawai'i Press, hardback, $38.95

Written by the longtime Parker Ranch veterinarian, now a state and private veterinarian in Waimea, this is the definitive text on the first 100 years of one of the oldest and largest cattle ranches in the nation. Like a Michener novel, the book, released last year, begins in pre-history, telling how the land was formed, summarizing what is known of the first settlers on the Island and arriving at last at 1793, when Capt. George Vancouver made a gift of cattle to King Kamehameha I.

John Palmer Parker, a sailor who fell in love with the Islands, arrived just as a kapu was lifted that had been in effect for 20 years, allowing cattle to roam and propagate freely, devastating Waimea flora and the kihapai (gardens) of the commoners. In 1815, Parker was hired as Kamehameha's first authorized cattle hunter. This job allowed the young man to amass a herd of his own, and, with the arrival of Spanish vaquero to train Hawaiian paniolo (cowboys), he was also able to gather a workforce. In 1847, he formally founded the Parker Ranch, known to Hawaiians as 'Aina Paka.

Bergin details every topic touching on the ranch's storied history: cattle ranching techniques, cowboy lore, the homes on the property, paniolo families, the Parker family and its tributaries. In contrast to many such histories, he doesn't forget the rank and file, sketching the lives of many workers, offering biographies and genealogies of families whose histories are intertwined with the ranch. Bergin references earlier histories (see Joseph Brennan's book, below). A glossary gives ranching terms in Hawaiian and Spanish. Maps show the geology and geography of Waimea, cattle landings around the island and so on. And there are dozens of photographs, as well.

If you have any connection to the Parker Ranch, or ranching anywhere in Hawai'i, you'll find much of interest here.

"THE PARKER RANCH OF HAWAI'I The Saga of a Ranch and a Dynasty," by Joseph Brennan; Mutual Publishing, paper, $11.95

First published in 1974, this book by a colorful writer (and former professional boxer) who died in 2000 at the age of 96, was commissioned by the late Richard Smart, then owner of the Parker Ranch, and was re-released by Mutual late last year. If the style is rather florid, it's in keeping with the often dramatic events in the multi-generation life of the ranch. Brennan had access to Parker Ranch papers, including journals and letters; he quotes these at length, adding a lively, firsthand flair to this book, which focuses primarily on the Parker family's romantic story.

"HE MAU MO'OLELO NA KEKAHI PANIOLO PELEKANE (TALES BY AN ENGLISH PANIOLO)," by Duke Wellington; Rocking W Press, hardback, $14.95.

This collection of amusing and touching poems by a Kaua'i rancher is a throwback to a time when rhymed poetry was a popular literary form and many everyday people wrote rhythmic poetry to express their sentiments or tell stories. Wellington, who moved from England to the U.S. as a youth with the dream of becoming a cowboy, fell in love with Hawai'i after being stationed here for a period during the Korean War. Now in his 70s, he has achieved both his ambitions — he's a cowboy who lives in Hawai'i. In this short, self-published collection of long-form poems, Wellington tells a couple of old-timey chicken-skin stories, illustrates his love for his wife, Millie, and his children and grandchildren, and gives his sense of humor a workout. Millie Wellington made the evocative oil painting of their spread, the Rocking W, that graces the cover.