The island, known as "the Forbidden Isle", is off-limits to all outsiders except the Robinson family and their relatives,U.S. Navy personnel, government officials, and invited guests. From 1987 onward, a limited number of supervised activity tours and hunting safaris have opened to tourists. The island is currently managed by brothers Bruce andKeith Robinson. The people of Niʻihau are noted for their gemlikelei pūpū (shell lei) craftsmanship. They speakHawaiian as a primary language. The island has attracted some controversy for the strict rules the Robinson family imposes on the island and its inhabitants.[5]
Niʻihau is located about 18 miles (29 km) west ofKauaʻi, and the tiny, uninhabited island ofLehua lies 0.7 miles (0.61 nmi; 1.1 km) north of Niʻihau. Niʻihau's dimensions are 6.2 miles by 18.6 miles (10km × 30km). The maximum elevation (Paniau) is 1,280 feet (390 m).[6] The island is about 6 million years old, making it geologically older than the 5.8-million-year-old neighboring island of Kauaʻi to the northeast.[7] Niʻihau is the remnant of the southwestern slope of what was once a much larger volcano. The entire summit and other slopes collapsed into the ocean in a giant prehistoriclandslide.[8]
The island is relativelyarid because it lies in therain shadow of Kauaʻi and lacks the elevation needed to catch significant amounts oftrade wind rainfall. Niʻihau, therefore, depends on winterKona storms for its rain, when more northerly weather systems intrude into the region. As such, the island is subject to long periods ofdrought.[9] Historical droughts on Niʻihau have been recorded several times, one in 1792 by CaptainJames Cook's former junior officer,George Vancouver, who had been told that the people of Niʻihau had abandoned the island because of a severe drought and had moved to Kauaʻi to escape famine.[10]
View of the rugged cliffs of windward Niʻihau (the northeastern shore)
As an arid island, Niʻihau was barren of trees for centuries – CaptainJames Cook reported it treeless in 1778.Aubrey Robinson, grandfather of current owners Bruce Robinson and Keith Robinson, planted 10,000 trees per year during much of his ownership of the island; Robinson'safforestation efforts increased rainfall in the dry climate.[12] Island co-owner Keith Robinson, a notedconservationist, preserved and documented many of Niʻihau's natural plant resources. The island is designated as a critical habitat for theʻōlulu, an endemic and endangered species ofHawaiian lobelioid.Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii, apalm tree named for Keith Robinson's uncleAylmer Robinson, is an endangered species native to Niʻihau.
Several bird species thrive on Niʻihau. The largest lakes on the island areHālaliʻi Lake,Halulu Lake andNonopapa Lake.[13] These intermittentplaya lakes on the island providewetland habitats for theʻalae keʻokeʻo (Hawaiian coot), theāeʻo (Hawaiian subspecies of Black-necked Stilt), and thekoloa maoli (Hawaiian duck). The critically endangeredHawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi) is found in high numbers on Niʻihau's shores. Robinson states that Niʻihau's secluded shoreline offers them a safe haven from habitat encroachments. According to Robinson, conditions there are better than the government refuges of theNorthwestern Hawaiian Islands. When the Robinsons originally purchased Niʻihau, no monk seals were present, because they lived in the northwestern part of the Hawaiian island chain,Necker andMidway islands. They have been relocated to the main Hawaiian island chain byNOAA fisheries over the past thirty years, and some have found homes on Niʻihau.[12][14][15]
Big game herds, imported from stock onMolokaʻi Ranch in recent years, roam Niʻihau's forests and flatlands.Eland andaoudad are abundant, along withoryxes, wildboars and feralsheep. These big game herds provide income fromhuntingsafari tourism.[12]
Map of Yam Bay and Niʻihau, CaptainGeorge Dixon's Journal, 1788.
Prior to theunification of the Kingdom of Hawaii underKamehameha I, Niʻihau was ruled by thealiʻi.Kahelelani was the first of the Niʻihau aliʻi. His name is now used to refer to theNiʻihau kahelelani, the puka shell of thewart turbans (Leptothyra verruca), used to make exquisite Niʻihau shell jewelry.[16][17]Kāʻeokūlani was a ruler of northern Niʻihau who unified the island after defeating his rival, a chief namedKawaihoa. A stone wall (Pāpōhaku) across a quarter of the island's southern end marked the boundaries of the two chiefs:Kāʻeo's land was identified by black stones and Kawaihoa's by white stones. Eventually, a great battle took place, known asPali Kamakaui. Kāʻeo's two brothers from the island ofMaui,Kaʻiana and his half-brotherKahekili II, the King of Maui, fought for Kāʻeo, and Niʻihau was united under his rule. Kawaihoa was banished to the south end of the island and Kāʻeo moved to the middle of the island to govern. Kāʻeo married the QueenKamakahelei, and a future king of Niʻihau and Kauaʻi namedKaumualiʻi was born in 1790.Kauaʻi and Niʻihau are said to have carried the "highest blood lines" in the Hawaiian Islands.[18]
Kamehameha managed to unify all of the islands by 1795, except for Kauaʻi and Niʻihau.[19] Two attempts to conquer those islands had failed, and Kamehameha lost many men: bodies covered the beaches on Kauaʻi's eastern shores.[20] Finally, in 1810, Kamehameha amassed a great fleet, and Kaumualiʻi, the last independentaliʻi, surrendered rather than risk further bloodshed. Independence again became feasible after Kamehameha's death in 1819, but was put down when Kamehameha's widowKaʻahumanu kidnapped Kaumualiʻi and forced him to marry her. Thereafter Niʻihau remained part of the unifiedHawaiian Kingdom.
A group of villagers at Puʻuwai Beach settlement, Niʻihau in 1885. Photograph taken by Francis Sinclair, son of Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair.
Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair (1800–1892) purchased Niʻihau and parts of Kauaʻi fromKamehameha V in 1864 forUS$10,000 (equivalent to about $200,000 in 2024) in gold. Sinclair chose Niʻihau over other options, includingWaikīkī andPearl Harbor. By around 1875, Niʻihau's population consisted of about 350 Native Hawaiians, with 20,000sheep.[21] This era marked the end of the art of Hawaiian mat-weaving made famous by the people of Niʻihau.Makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus), a nativesedge, used to grow on the edges of Niʻihau's threeintermittent lakes.[22] The stems were harvested and used to weavemoena makaloa (mats), considered the "finest sleeping mats inPolynesia". The mats were valued byaliʻi and foreign visitors alike, but by the end of the 19th century, Hawaiians had stopped weavingmakaloa due to changes in population, culture, economics, and the environment.[23]
In 1915, Sinclair's grandson Aubrey Robinson closed the island to most visitors. Even relatives of the inhabitants could visit only by special permission. Upon Aubrey's death in 1939 the island passed to his son Aylmer, and in 1968 to Aylmer's youngest brother Lester. Upon Lester's wife Helen's death, the island passed to his sons Bruce Robinson and Keith Robinson, the current co-owners.[12] (SeeSinclair-Robinson family tree)
The Robinson family has attracted controversy over the strict rules they have imposed on the island’s inhabitants, largely enforced by Bruce Robinson’s wife, Leiana Robinson. The rules include a ban on alcohol and cigarettes, being prohibited from talking about Ni’ihau to the media, a permanent ban from the island if a resident leaves for an extended amount of time, and a ban on long hair and beards for men.[24] The island lacks electricity and running water.[25]
Niʻihau was the site of an event not long after theattack on Pearl Harbor that has come to be known as theNiʻihau Incident (or the Battle of Niʻihau). On December 7, 1941, aJapanese pilot whoseZero had been hit crash-landed[26] on the island hoping to rendezvous with a rescue submarine. The pilot was apprehended and later escaped with the assistance of local Japanese residents, but he was killed shortly afterwards.[27]
Despite its self-imposed isolation, Niʻihau has a long-standing relationship with theU.S. military dating from 1924.[12] There is a smallNavy installation on the island. No military personnel are permanently stationed there, but the U.S. military has used the island for trainingspecial operations units, which included hiring Hawaiians who live on Niʻihau as "enemy" trackers.[28]
In 2004, PresidentGeorge W. Bush received all but one of the 40 votes cast on the island. The remaining vote was cast forGreen Party nomineeDavid Cobb. Fifty-one registered voters did not cast ballots.[32] In 2006,Dan Akaka received 60% of votes in the 2006 Senate election toCynthia Thielen's 36%.[33] In 2008, Niʻihau's precinct was one of only three of Hawaiʻi's 538 precincts to supportJohn McCain overBarack Obama.[34]
Navy contractors fromPMRF arrive at Paniau Ridge on Niʻihau in anAgusta A109 helicopter. The seabird sanctuary island ofLehua can be seen in the background.
The 2010 census states that there were 170 people living on the island.[35] However, witness accounts estimate that the population actually ranges between 35 and 50 people.[36][37] Some support themselves largely by subsistence fishing and farming, while others depend onwelfare.[38] All residents live rent-free, and meat is free.[12] Niʻihau has no telephone services and no paved roads. Horses are the main form of transportation; bicycles are also used. There are no power lines; solar power provides all electricity. There is no plumbing or running water on the island. Water comes fromrainwater catchment. The Robinson family established most of these conditions. There is no hotel, and barges deliver groceries from Kauaʻi, often purchased by relatives, with free shipping.[12]
Residents generally speak theNiʻihau dialect ofHawaiian as their first language, in part encouraged by terms in the original purchase contract which obligated the new owners to help preserve Hawaiian culture and tradition. The Niʻihaudialect differs from modern standard Hawaiian in that, for example,[t] and[ɾ] are the most commonrealizations of thephonemes/k/ and/l/, respectively.[12] Niʻihau is the only island where Hawaiian is spoken as a primary language.[39] Oral tradition maintains that the Niʻihau dialect is closer to the Hawaiian register spoken during the time of contact with Europeans; there is linguistic evidence to support this claim, such as the pronunciation of k as/t/.[40] English is the second language.
Some residents have radio and television sets, although limited reception effectively limits the latter to watching pre-recorded media.[41] Niʻihau is subject to regular droughts that occasionally force the population to evacuate to Kauaʻi temporarily, until rainfall replenishes their water supply. Residents commonly also commute to Kauaʻi for work, medical care, or school, and many of them call both islands home. To avoid a long boat ride, the island's owners maintain anAgusta A109 helicopter for emergencies and for transporting Navy contractors and residents to and from Kauaʻi. Helicopter tours and safaris help offset the costs of this service.[42]
A form ofipu art is known to have developed solely on the island of Niʻihau.[43][44] In this method, after a design is carved in the skin of a freshgourd, it is filled withdye which, after several weeks, changes the color of the uncarved portions of the surface where the skin is intact.Hawaiian music plays a central role on the island, witha cappella singers making use of only two or three tones and changing rhythms.Ukulele and guitar playing is nearly ubiquitous among the islanders, and there are three separate styles ofslack-key music, with an older style originating fromKohala.[45]
TheHawaii Department of Education operates theNiʻihau School, a K–12 school. Academic subjects and computer literacy are combined with teaching students to "thrive from the land".[12] The school is powered entirely bysolar power.[46] The number of students varies from 25 to 50 since families often travel between Niʻihau and Kauaʻi.[47] Schoolchildren may stay with relatives in west Kauaʻi, where they attend one of two Niʻihau-focused publiccharter schools. At theKe Kula Niʻihau o Kekaha school, students speak primarily the Niʻihau dialect through the early elementary grades, and thenHawaiian and English through grade 12. The school has a digital recording and video system, which helps to preserve and teach traditional Niʻihau and Hawaiian culture. At the other west Kauaʻi school, Kula Aupuni Niʻihau a Kahelelani Aloha (KANAKA), English is used in all grades, while still supporting the Niʻihau dialect. Both schools foster the culture, values, and spirituality of Niʻihau.[12] Efforts to establish KANAKA began in 1993 and its current version was established in 1999.[48]
Approximately 80% of Niʻihau's income comes from a smallNavy installation atop 1,300-foot-high cliffs. Remote-controlled tracking devices are used for testing and training with Kaua'i'sPacific Missile Range Facility. Modern missile defense tests are conducted at the site for the U.S. and its allies. The installation brings in millions of dollars a year, and provides the island with a stable economic base without the complexity of tourism or industrial development.[12]
The sale of shells and shell jewelry is an additional source of income.[49] Its beaches are known for theirpūpū, tiny shells that wash onto shore during winter months. Species used for shell leis includesmomi (Euplica varians),laiki or rice shells (Mitrella margarita) andkahelelani (Leptothyra verruca).[50] The shells and jewelry are so popular that GovernorLinda Lingle signed a bill in 2004 to protectlei pūpū o Niʻihau (Niʻihau shell leis) from counterfeiting.[51] A single, intricate Niʻihau shell lei can sell for thousands of dollars.[12]
Trash deposited by the ocean on a windward Niʻihau beach
Many residents of Niʻihau were once employees of Niʻihau Ranch, farming cattle and sheep until the Robinsons shut down the operation in 1999. It had not been profitable for most of the 20th century.[citation needed]Honey cultivation[52] was also no longer viable by 1999.[28]Kiawecharcoal was once a large-scale export, but aggressiveMexican price competition ended that as well.[12]Mullet farming has been popular on Niʻihau, with ponds and lakes stocked with baby mullet, which reach 9–10 pounds (4.1–4.5 kg) apiece before being harvested and sold onKauaʻi andOʻahu.[53]
Bruce Robinson, Niʻihau's co-owner, is seeking and considering new forms of non-invasive income generation. Depending on feasibility, impact, andecological footprint on the ecosystem and culture, possibilities includeJP-8 (jet fuel) generation by thelignocellulose process; military, including a possible runway; andwindmill energy production. Robinson has declined offers to purchasesand from Niʻihau's beaches, because of adverse environmental effects.[12]
Niʻihau's owners have offered half-day helicopter and beach tours of the island since 1987,[54] although contact with residents is avoided and no accommodation exists.[55] Since 1992,[56]huntingsafaris provide income from tourists who pay to visit the island to hunteland,aoudad, andoryx, as well as wildsheep andboars. Any meat the hunters do not take with them is given to the village.
^Crites, Jennifer (October–November 2007)."The Ipu Guy".Hana Hou!.10 (5). RetrievedOctober 18, 2007.This method developed [circaAD 1600] only on Niʻihau – nowhere else in the world – and then vanished at the end of the 19th century," explains Harburg. "It was lost until Dr. Bruce Kaʻimiloa Chrisman figured out how it was done.
Mitchell, C.; C. Ogura; D.W. Meadows; A. Kane; L. Strommer; S. Fretz; D. Leonard; A. McClung (October 1, 2005)."Chapter 6: Island Conservation Needs – Niʻihau"(PDF).Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Final. Department of Land and Natural Resources. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 16, 2011. RetrievedMarch 23, 2009.
Morgan, Joseph R. (1996). "Kaua'i and Ni'ihau".Hawai'i: A Unique Geography. The Bess Press.ISBN1-57306-021-6.
Clark, John R. K. (1990).Beaches of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. pp. 79–102.ISBN0-8248-1260-3.
Conover, Adele; Gary Braasch (November 1996). "A Onetime Rancher Wages Lonely War to Save Rare Plants".Smithsonian.27 (8).Smithsonian Institution: 114.
Laracy, Hugh (September 2001). "The Sinclairs of Pigeon Bay and the Romantic 'Pre-history' of the Robinsons of Niʻihau".Journal of Pacific History.36 (2). Routledge:183–199.doi:10.1080/00223340120075560.S2CID162334677.
Meyer, Philip A. (1998). "Niihau – Present Circumstances and Future Requirement in an Evolving Hawaiian Community". Ni'ihau, Hawai'i: Hoomana Ia Iesu Church.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
Stepien, Edward R. (1988) [1984].Niʻihau, A Brief History. Vol. 1. Honolulu: Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian, & Pacific Studies,University of Hawaii at Manoa. pp. 1–268.hdl:10125/15544.