The dryland grasses and sparse native forest of Pu`uwa`awa`a in North Kona form the challenging rocky rangeland featured in this photo from the 1940s. The challenges of the area required cowboys to move cattle while cautiously avoiding accidents or even death, in the sacred, lava tube-strewn terrain. These paniolo had to know how to get their cattle safely to scarce water and good grazing.

This photograph on canvas appeared in Kona Historical Society's 2016 exhibit, Kona Ranching and Kona Cowboys. Dimensions are 11"x16".

From the Collections of Kona Historical Society.