Niihau

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Niʻihau
The Forbidden Isle

Population	160 (2000 census)
Area	69.9 sq. miles (181.04 km²
Rank	7th Largest Hawaiian Island
Highest Point	Mt. Pānīʻau, 1,281 feet
Flower	Pupu Shells

Niʻihau, at 69.9 sq. miles (181.04 km²), is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. State of Hawaiʻi. Niʻihau is also known as the "Forbidden Isle" because the island is off-limits to all but relatives of the island's owners (the Robinson family), U.S. Navy personnel, government officials and expressly invited guests. However, tourists are able to visit the island through a limited number of supervised tours, including diving, hiking, and hunting safaris. Niʻihau is also referred to as the "Distant Isle" and sometimes the "Forgotten Island", as it is frequently omitted on tourist maps.

1 Geography and Geology
2 People
- 2.1 Communities
3 History
4 Politics
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Geography and Geology

Niʻihau is not the geologically oldest of the eight main islands, contrary to popular belief. Kauaʻi, which neighbors Niʻihau in the north-east, is older. This is because Niʻihau was formed by a secondary vent that formed after the Kauaʻi volcano was erupting. It is estimated that Kauaʻi was formed 5.1 million years ago, while Niʻihau is estimated to have been formed 4.9 million years ago. Niʻihau consists of one extinct volcano that had a large landslide to the east.

The island is relatively arid, being situated in the rain shadow of Kauaʻi and lacking the elevation needed to catch significant amounts of Trade Wind rainfall (see orographic precipitation).

The island is located about 29 km (18 miles) west of Kauaʻi. Its dimensions are 30 km by 10 km (6.2 x 18.6 mi; its land area is 56.6% larger than uninhabited Kahoʻolawe). The maximum elevation (Pānīʻau) is 390 m (1280 ft). The United States Census Bureau defines Niʻihau (with the neighboring small island of Lehua) as Census Tract 410 of Kauaʻi County, Hawaiʻi. Its 2000 census population was 160. <ref>Census Tract 410, Kauaʻi County United States Census Bureau</ref>

On the beaches of the island are found shells which are the only shells to be classified as gems. Niʻihau shells and the jewelry made from them are very popular. Many, especially those with darker and richer color, are collectors' items. The sale of shells and shell jewelry provide an additional source of income for the local populace. The Robinson family claims that the unusual luster of Niʻihau shells is due to the island's extremely low pollution levels (in relation to the other islands).

[edit] People

The island has approximately 160 permanent inhabitants, nearly all of whom are Native Hawaiians who live in the island's main settlement of Puʻuwai. They support themselves largely by subsistence agriculture and welfare and generally lead a rural, low-tech life. They speak the Hawaiian language, in part encouraged by terms in the purchase contract which obligated the new owners to help preserve Hawaiian culture and tradition. Niʻihau is the only one of the Hawaiian islands on which the Hawaiian language is still a primary form of communication.

The Native Hawaiians are not isolated from the outside world, however: Niʻihau is subject to regular droughts that occasionally force the population to evacuate to Kauaʻi temporarily, until their fresh water supply is replenished by rainfall.

One complaint made in recent years by the native Hawaiian population has been that local fishermen and touristshave been overfishing the waters surrounding Niʻihau. Residents already compete ^{[citation needed]} for seafood catches with the local population of Hawaiian monk seals( which are protected by the Endangered Species Act).

[edit] Communities

[edit] History

Since 1864 the entire island has been owned by the Robinson family, who purchased it for $10,000 in gold from the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. It has been said that the purchaser, Elizabeth Sinclair (later Sinclair-Robinson), bought the island in preference to other real estate parcels such as Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, or the island of Lānaʻi. In 1915, Sinclair's grandson Aubrey Robinson closed the island to most outside visitors. Even relatives of the inhabitants could visit only by special permission.

Niʻihau had a small role to play during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. An off-course Japanese pilot landed at Niʻihau and was captured by locals. With the assistance of local Japanese residents, the pilot escaped, but was later recaptured and killed. The incident is referred to locally as the "Battle of Niʻihau." [1] and was the background for a 2006 novel East Wind, Rain, by Caroline Paul (ISBN 0060780754).

Despite the self-imposed isolation, Niʻihau has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. military dating from before World War II. There is a small U.S. Navy installation on the island, but no military personnel are permanently stationed there. More recently, however, the U.S. military has used the island for training special operations units, hiring the Niʻihauans as "enemy" trackers.

Many residents of Niʻihau had been employees of the Niʻihau Ranch until the Robinson family finally shut down the operation in 1999; it had not been profitable for most of the 20th century. Many of the residents ended up on federal welfare, although these benefits will expire soon. The Robinson family has been considering alternative economic options to keep their residents employed, such as an increased economic role for the U.S. military (an earlier 1999 proposal to establish a missile testing program on the island fell by the wayside), or increased tourism. Either of these would erode the relative isolation that the residents currently enjoy.

[edit] Politics

In 2004 President George W. Bush received all but one of the 40 votes cast on the island. The remaining vote was cast for Green Party nominee David Cobb. 51 registered voters did not cast ballots. (See the official Hawaiʻi 2004 election results for precinct 16-09 for more details.)

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Image:Flag of Hawaii.svg	State of Hawaii
Topics	Geography \| Government \| History \| Politics \| People
Capital	Honolulu
Islands	Hawaiʻi \| Kahoʻolawe \| Kauaʻi \| Lānaʻi \| Maui \| Molokaʻi \| Niʻihau \| Northwestern Hawaiʻian Islands \| Oʻahu
Communities	Hilo \| Honolulu \| Kahului \| Waipahu \| Līhuʻe
Counties	Hawaiʻi \| Honolulu \| Kalawao \| Kauaʻi \| Maui