The first Friday of each month, the Wildling Art Museum in Los Olivos, a museum devoted to the art of America’s wilderness, screens notable films about nature or art and invites the public to come see them free of charge. The Museum also provides free popcorn and cookies, wine, water, and soft drinks. Reservations are not required, but space is limited and seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

The Free Friday Flicks are underwritten by a generous grant from The Valley Foundation.

“Holo Holo Paniolo”

“Holo Holo Paniolo,” a new documentary about the Hawaiian cowboy, produced by Susan Jensen and Paul Singer, as the third in their series of films about the history and culture of the Vaquero.

The Californio Vaqueros in the 1800s were held in such high esteem that in 1833, Hawaiian King Kamehameha sent for three Vaqueros from the central coast of California to teach the Hawaiians how to rope, ride and catch the wild cattle which were tearing up the taro patches and terrorizing the people. The result was the “Paniolo,” or Hawaiian cowboy who became essential to the operation of the large cattle ranches existing on the islands, including one of the largest in the US, the 170,000-acre Parker Ranch with its 17,000 head of cattle.

The wild cattle inhabited the lava-strewn slopes of volcanoes like Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. These critters were chased down (sometimes in the dead of night), roped and tied to trees. The next morning, the Paniolo would snub the bull to his saddle horn and lead him down the mountain.

Since Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the cattle had to be shipped by boat. These courageous men would swim the cattle out to the boats. The unique Hawaiian saddle was ingeniously modified from the Vaquero saddle so it could be stripped down and made waterproof. Today, it’s a standard part of Paniolo gear.

Another legacy of the Paniolo was their unique music with slack key tunings played on Spanish guitars that the California Vaqueros brought with them, music which with its melodic silky strains provides the score for this engaging film. 90 minutes.

“Holo Holo Paniolo” was screened beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Museum’s administrative offices, 2948 Nojoqui, Suite 4, in Los Olivos.

For more infromation call 688-1082