Niihau - The Forbidden Island

 In an effort to preserve a remnant of a pure Hawaiian culture, the inhabitants of Niihau live secluded from the mainstream of modern life found in the other islands.

 Located 17 miles off the west coast of Kauai and home to some 250 Hawaiians, Niihau is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian islands. It is privately owned, being offered for sale by King Kamehameha IV in 1863. It was purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair for $10,000 over other properties such as Pearl Harbor, Waikiki, and the island of Lanai. The island was transformed into a sheep and cattle ranch and still remains within the Sinclair - Robinson family.

 Until quite recently, the island was off-limits to outsiders, but now helicopter tours are available. These three hour tours, offered by Robinson owned Niihau Helicopters, subsidize emergency medical service to the island.

 On the island the Hawaiian language is spoken -- the only island in the chain where Hawaiian remains the spoken language. The population is about 95% Hawaiian and 5% Japanese.

 There is little infrastructure here. Families use gasoline generators to power refrigerators and each family tends a garden plot to supplement the beef and mutton which are still raised. Transportation for most people is by horseback or pick-up truck. The island has an elementary school with English being the language of instruction. Older students are sent to High School in Kauai.

 The rare Niihau Shell is found here and  fashioned into lei worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

 Today the Forbidden Island remains the least changed of the Hawaiian Islands in its quest to preserve the spirit and culture of Old Hawaii.