Barbara Kamilipua Nobriga
Year Inducted: 2003
Mahealani Ranch | Hawai'i
They say she is one of the few women in Hawai`i who is capable of shoeing her own horse. As the owner and manager of her own ranch, Barbara’s capabilities go far beyond horse-shoeing. As a 4th generation family member to live, ranch and raise a family on the family land in Kona, Barbara, like her mother, Paniolo Hall of Fame member Kapua Heuer, carries a lifetime of paniolo culture and tradition, inherited and learned. Her exposure to ranching goes back to her grandmother, Noenoe Wall of Kawainui, North Kona, and she remains committed to preserving the paniolo heritage passed on to her.
Barbara has kept paniolo traditions alive by using the Hawaiian language and teaching the “old way” of making rawhide, tanning hides, braiding and caring for tack, livestock and the land. She also maintains efforts to preserve the historic cattle pen, Pa Nui, on lands adjoining hers, that was built by Kamehameha the Great.
As a rancher, Barbara is also committed to her stewardship of the land. Over the past ten years she and her family have been fencing 20 – 50 acre plots on their land in an effort to promote re-growth of the native forest. For her conservation efforts, Barbara was recognized as Rancher of the Year by the Kona Soil and Water Conservation district in 1999.
Barbara says that “challenging” is a good word for ranching today, with weather being the number one hurdle. Her beloved Kona has been in perpetual drought. Undaunted, she is developing a drought-resistant strain of cattle. It’s this “can do” attitude as well as her capability, initiative and passion for the paniolo lifestyle she is perpetuating, that has earned Barbara the respect of her fellow paniolo.