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Ni'ihau

Ni'ihau, the Forbidden Isle, is the smallest of the inhabited islands, measuring about 16 miles by 14 miles. In Hawaiian legend, it is the original home of the volcano goddess, Pele. The climate is dry, but several lakes provide plenty of fresh water.

Owned since 1864 by the Robinson family of Kauai, Ni'ihau is off limits to all but the Hawaiian families who live and work there, and their relatives who have moved to other islands. The population has been hovering around the 250 mark for most of the latter half of this century.

If traditional Hawaiian living still exists anywhere in the islands, it is here. Ni'ihau has no phones and no electricity. The local people work on the Robinson's ranching and farming operations. Since Ni'ihau is a semi-arid island, much of the food must be imported from nearby Kauai.

Hawaiian is the official language of the island, though many if not most of the residents speak English as well. The school cirriculum is taught in Hawaiian, and many of Hawaii's finest Hawaiian-language singers and songwriters learned the language here. Residents are of course free to come and go as they please, so Ni'ihau continues to exert an influence on modern Hawaiian culture far beyond its size.

In recent years, the Robinson family has allowed limited access via helicopter to outsiders wishing to visit unpopulated portions of the island, and there are indications that financial problems may cause further loosening of the restrictions on visitors.

Throughout Hawaii, though, even native Hawaiians who resent the Robinson's ownership of the island are agreed that Ni'ihau represents a priceless asset for Hawaiians and the islands in general. Many native Hawaiians are discussing ways of preserving the Ni'ihau tradition even in the event that the Robinson family can no longer maintain its stewardship of the island.

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