"History and Tales of Niihau".
• Niihau is called "The Forbidden Island" partly because it is private property and off limits to visitors without personal invitations from the owners or the residents of Niihau. Niihau was also called, "The Distant Isle" in times past. Located 17 miles southwest of Kauai, Niihau is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands, with a land area of only 73 square miles. Niihau is 23 miles long and ranges from 3 to 6 miles wide. Niihau is surrounded by 50 miles of coastline and the highest elevation is Paniau at 1,281 above sea level. Due to its poor soil and lack of fresh water, Niihau has always had a small population. Annual rainfall in the agricultural area averages about 12 inches per year. In the non-agricultural areas where soil isn't suitable for farming or grazing cattle, rainfall can be as much as 25 inches per year and increases with altitude to 30-35 inches annually on the elevated plateau to over 40 inches annually on the upper windward northeastern slopes which, of course, are areas not suitable for agriculture or grazing. Niihau is privately owned and was purchased from King Kamehameha V in 1864 by a Scottish family, the Sinclairs, who had emigrated from Scotland to New Zealand and again to Hawaii. They began a sheep and cattle ranch which is still owned by the family and it was operated by native Hawaiians. To see a history of the Sinclair Family and the Robinson Family, click here. Housing without indoor plumbing or electricity is provided for the resident workers by the ranch which raises about 2,500 head of cattle, 3,000 wild turkeys and 12,000 sheep raised primarily for wool. The ranch also exports honey and charcoal made from Keawe trees. There are also thousands of feral pigs on Niihau. The Forbidden Island of Niihau, is steeped in legends and shrouded in mystery - mysteries that still cause doubts among researchers. The crystal clear waters are teeming with tropical fish and monk seals thriving in blue-green water so clear that it is hard to believe. With its arid climate and barren land it is surprising that the largest lake in Hawaii is on Niihau, but Hawaii's largest freshwater lake is Halalii Lake on Niihau. Nearby Hawaii's largest lake is Halulu Lake. There are 12 lakes on Niihau. The last vestige of true Hawaiian culture resides on Niihau in a primitive environment without commercial electricity, plumbing, cars, paved highways, hotels or restaurants and the people there primarily speak the native Hawaiian language. This core of "manaleo" which are native first language speakers, is a valuable cultural resource to the State of Hawaii and the world, especially since there is renewed interest in reviving the Hawaiian language in communities throughout Hawaii. To use dictionaries of the Hawaiian language and language translators for 150 other languages, including Polynesian tongues, click here.
The people of Niihau get around on foot, bicycles, in trucks and on horseback. Each family tends its own garden to supplement the beef and mutton that are raised on the ranch. School on Niihau is taught in both Hawaiian and English up to the eighth grade. Children pursuing education beyond the 8th grade go to high school on Kauai where their tuition is paid by the ranch. Meanwhile, the pristine beaches of Niihau yield one of the most prized possessions of the Hawaiian Islands — the extremely rare Niihau seashells, Kahelelani shells and Kamoa shells found only on Niihau, which islanders fashion into jewelry, primarily seashell leis and necklaces, worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Click here to see a sample of earrings made from red Kahelelani and white Momi shells and here to view a necklace made of red Kahelelani and Momi shells. Click here for an akala colored Kahelelani and white Momi shell necklace. And to look at some earrings made only of Kahelelani shells click here. The seashells wash ashore only two or three times a year and at that time all the islanders drop everything and rush to the beaches to harvest the best 20% of the shells.
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, no Japanese forces occupied Oahu, home of Pearl Harbor, or the surrounding islands. Niihau was the only island that witnessed Japanese military occupation and no American forces ever came to the rescue of the islanders. They were on their own in what came to be known as the "Battle of Niihau". To find out how the resourceful Hawaiian natives dealt with the Japanese invasion, click here.
The Leeward Hawaiian Islands comprise the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument formerly called the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, the largest marine nature preserve on Planet Earth.
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