View source for Earth:Niʻihau

{{short description|The westernmost and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaiʻi}}
{{Infobox Island
| name            = Ni{{okina}}ihau 
| nickname        = The Forbidden Isle
| image_name      = Niihau_sep_2007.jpg
| image_caption   = Aerial view of Ni{{okina}}ihau looking southwestward from the northeast
| map_image       = Hawaii Islands - Ni ihau.PNG
| map_caption     = Location of Ni{{okina}}ihau in the state of Hawai{{okina}}i
| location        = {{Coord|21|54|N|160|10|W|type:isle}}
| area_sqmi       = 69.5
| highest_mount   = Mount Pānī{{okina}}au
| elevation_ft    = 1,250
| population      = 170
| population_as_of= 2020
| density_sqmi    = 1.9
| country_largest_city = Puʻuwai
| country = United States
| country_admin_divisions = {{Infobox region symbols|embedded=yes|island=yes|flower= ''Pūpū ke{{okina}}oke{{okina}}o''<!-- Correct if Hawaiian is not accurate --> (white shell){{sfn|Shearer|2002|p=99}}| color= ''Ke{{okina}}oke{{okina}}o'' (White){{sfn|Shearer|2002|p=230}}}}
| rank            = 7th largest [[Earth:Hawaiian Islands|Hawaiian Island]]
}}
'''Ni{{okina}}ihau''' ([[Social:Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]]: {{IPA-haw|ˈniʔiˈhɐw|}}) anglicized as '''Niihau''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|iː|.|h|aʊ|,_|ˈ|n|iː|.|iː|ˌ|h|aʊ}} {{respell|NEE|how|,_|NEE|ee|how}}) is the westernmost main and seventh largest inhabited island in Hawaii. It is {{convert|17.5|mi|km}} southwest of [[Earth:Kauai|Kaua{{okina}}i]] across the Kaulakahi Channel. Its area is {{convert|69.5|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="SizeRef">{{cite web |url=http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/economic/databook/db2004/section05.pdf |format=PDF |title=Table 5.08 – Land Area of Islands: 2000 |work=2004 State of Hawaii Data Book |publisher=State of Hawaii |year=2004 |accessdate=2007-07-23}}</ref> Several intermittent [[Earth:Sink (geography)|playa]] lakes provide [[Earth:Wetland|wetland]] habitats for the [[Biology:Hawaiian coot|Hawaiian coot]], the [[Biology:Hawaiian stilt|Hawaiian stilt]], and the [[Biology:Hawaiian duck|Hawaiian duck]]. The island is designated as critical habitat for ''[[Biology:Brighamia insignis|Brighamia insignis]]'', an endemic and endangered species of [[Biology:Hawaiian lobelioids|Hawaiian lobelioid]]. The United States Census Bureau defines Ni{{okina}}ihau and the neighboring island and State Seabird Sanctuary of [[Earth:Lehua|Lehua]] as Census Tract 410 of Kauai County, Hawaii. Its 2000 census population was 160;<ref>[https://www.census.gov|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0.0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=0.9772324544013481|dh=0.6835378893838299|dt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-160.12894285711306|cy=21.907113449251586|zl=6|pz=6|bo=318:317:316:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=381:403:204:380:369:379:368|g=15000US150090303029&-PANEL_ID=p_dt_geo_map&-_lang=en&-geo_id=14000US15007041000&-CONTEXT=dt&-format=&-search_results=15000US150090303029&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U Census Tract 410, Kaua'i County]  [https://www.webcitation.org/5mqxkeSQn?url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y Archived copy] at WebCite (January 17, 2010). United States Census Bureau</ref> Its 2010 census [[Earth:Hawaiian Islands#Main islands|population]] was 170.

Elizabeth Sinclair purchased Ni{{okina}}ihau in 1864 for $10,000 from the [[History:Hawaiian Kingdom|Kingdom of Hawaii]]. The island's private ownership passed on to her descendants, the Robinsons. During [[Social:World War II|World War II]], the island was the site of the Ni{{okina}}ihau Incident, in which, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese navy fighter pilot crashed on the island, then terrorized its residents for a week.

The island, known as "the Forbidden Isle", is off-limits to all but the Robinson family and their relatives, U.S. Navy personnel, government officials, and invited guests. From 1987 onwards, a limited number of supervised activity tours and hunting safaris have opened to tourists. The island is currently managed by brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson. The people of Ni{{okina}}ihau are noted for their gemlike ''lei pūpū'' (shell lei) craftsmanship. They speak [[Social:Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] as a primary language.

==Geography==

===Climate===
The island is relatively [[Earth:Arid|arid]] because it lies in the [[Earth:Rain shadow|rain shadow]] of Kaua{{okina}}i, and lacks the elevation needed to catch significant amounts of trade wind rainfall. Ni{{okina}}ihau, therefore, depends on winter [[Earth:Kona storm|Kona storm]]s for its rain, when more northerly weather systems intrude into the region. As such, the island is subject to long periods of [[Earth:Drought|drought]].{{sfn|Tabrah|1987|pp=10–11}} Historical droughts on Ni{{okina}}ihau have been recorded several times, one in 1792 by Captain James Cook's former junior officer, George Vancouver, who had been told that the people of Ni{{okina}}ihau had abandoned the island because of a severe drought and had moved to Kaua{{okina}}i to escape famine.{{sfn|Tabrah|1987|p=49}}

{{Weather box
|location = Pu{{okina}}uwai
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 79
|Feb high F = 79
|Mar high F = 81
|Apr high F = 82
|May high F = 83
|Jun high F = 85
|Jul high F = 86
|Aug high F = 87
|Sep high F = 87
|Oct high F = 86
|Nov high F = 83
|Dec high F = 81
|year high F = 83
|Jan low F = 65
|Feb low F = 65
|Mar low F = 65
|Apr low F = 66
|May low F = 67
|Jun low F = 69
|Jul low F = 70
|Aug low F = 71
|Sep low F = 71
|Oct low F = 70
|Nov low F = 68
|Dec low F = 66
|year low F = 68
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain inch = 2.96
|Feb rain inch = 1.48
|Mar rain inch = 1.53
|Apr rain inch = 0.75
|May rain inch = 0.63
|Jun rain inch = 0.33
|Jul rain inch = 0.50
|Aug rain inch = 0.62
|Sep rain inch = 0.84
|Oct rain inch = 2.35
|Nov rain inch = 2.74
|Dec rain inch = 2.78
|year rain inch = 17.51
|source 1 =   The Weather Channel <ref name="The Weather Channel">{{cite web
  | url = https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USHI0255:1:US
  | title = Puuwai, HI Monthly Weather Forecast
  | publisher = [[Company:The Weather Channel|The Weather Channel]]
  | accessdate = 2018-05-07 }}</ref>
|date=May 2018
}}

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:Niihau cliffs aerial.jpg|thumb|left|View of the rugged cliffs of windward Ni{{okina}}ihau (the northeastern shore)]]
As an arid island, Ni{{okina}}ihau was barren of trees for centuries – Captain James 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's [[Earth:Afforestation|afforestation]] efforts increased rainfall in the dry climate.<ref name="khon2009" /> Island co-owner Keith Robinson, a noted conservationist, preserved and documented many of Ni{{okina}}ihau's natural plant resources. The island is designated as a critical habitat for the ''[[Biology:Brighamia insignis|{{okina}}ōlulu]]'', an endemic and endangered species of Hawaiian lobelioid. ''[[Biology:Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii|Aylmer robinsonii]]'', a [[Biology:Pritchardia|Pritchardia]] [[Biology:Arecaceae|palm]] tree named for Keith Robinson's uncle Aylmer Robinson, is an endangered species native to Ni{{okina}}ihau.

Several bird species thrive on Niʻihau. The largest lakes on the island are Hālaliʻi Lake, Halulu Lake and Nonopapa Lake.<ref>{{Hawaiian Dictionaries|Nonopapa Lake|HASH93333704227c2989be6a6a|dic=hpn|accessdate=September 24, 2010}}</ref> These intermittent [[Earth:Sink (geography)|playa]] lakes on the island provide [[Earth:Wetland|wetland]] habitats for the ''[[Biology:Hawaiian coot|ʻalae keʻokeʻo]]'' (Hawaiian coot), the ''[[Biology:Black-winged stilt|āeʻo]]'' (black-winged stilt), and the ''[[Biology:Hawaiian duck|koloa maoli]]'' (Hawaiian duck). The critically endangered [[Biology:Hawaiian monk seal|Hawaiian 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 the Northwestern 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, [[Earth:Necker Island (Hawaii)|Necker]] and Midway islands. They have been relocated to the main Hawaiian island chain by NOAA fisheries over the past thirty years, and some have found homes on Niʻihau.<ref name="khon2009" /><ref name="TavaKeale1990">{{cite book|last1=Tava|first1=Rerioterai|last2=Keale|first2=Moses K.|title=Niihau: The Traditions of a Hawaiian Island|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0GPxAAAAMAAJ|year=1990|publisher=Mutual Publishing Company|location=Honolulu|oclc=21275453|page=95}}</ref>

Big game herds, imported from stock on Moloka{{okina}}i Ranch in recent years, roam Ni{{okina}}ihau's forests and flatlands. [[Biology:Taurotragus|Eland]] and aoudad are abundant, along with [[Biology:Oryx|oryx]]es, wild boars and feral [[Biology:Sheep|sheep]]. These big game herds provide income from hunting safari tourism.<ref name="khon2009" />

==History==
[[File:Map of Yam Bay and Niihau, Captain George Dixon's Journal, 1788.jpg|thumb|Map of Yam Bay and Ni{{okina}}ihau, Captain George Dixon's Journal, 1788.]]
Prior to the [[History:Hawaiian Kingdom|unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii]] under Kamehameha I, Ni{{okina}}ihau was ruled by the {{lang|haw|aliʻi}}. Kahelelani was the first of the Ni{{okina}}ihau ali{{okina}}i. His name is now used to refer to the ''Ni{{okina}}ihau kahelelani'', the puka shell of the [[Biology:Leptothyra verruca|wart turbans]] (''Leptothyra verruca''), used to make exquisite Ni{{okina}}ihau shell jewelry.{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|p=13}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Kam |first=Nadine |title=The real deal: Genuine Niihau shells have lasting quality |work=Features |publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin |date=2004-05-17 |url=http://starbulletin.com/2004/05/17/features/story1.html |accessdate=2007-07-21}}</ref> Kāʻeokūlani was a ruler of northern Ni{{okina}}ihau who unified the island after defeating his rival, a chief named Kawaihoa. A stone wall ({{lang|haw|Pāpōhaku}}) across a quarter of the island's southern end marked the boundaries of the two chiefs: Kā{{okina}}eo's land was identified by black stones and Kawaihoa's by white stones. Eventually, a great battle took place, known as Pali Kamakaui. Kā{{okina}}eo's two brothers from the island of Maui, Kaiana and his half-brother Kahekili II, the King of Maui, fought for Kā{{okina}}eo, and Ni{{okina}}ihau was united under his rule. Kawaihoa was banished to the south end of the island and Kā{{okina}}eo moved to the middle of the island to govern. Kā{{okina}}eo married the Queen Kamakahelei, and a future king of Ni{{okina}}ihau and Kaua{{okina}}i named Kaumuali{{okina}}i was born in 1790. [[Earth:Kauai|Kaua{{okina}}i]] and Ni{{okina}}ihau are said to have carried the "highest blood lines" in the Hawaiian Islands.{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|pp=13–14}}

Kamehameha managed to unify all of the islands by 1795, except for Kaua{{okina}}i and Ni{{okina}}ihau:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Coulter |first1=John Wesley |year=1964 |title=Great Britain in Hawaii: The Captain Cook Monument |journal=The Geographical Journal |volume=130 |page=2 |doi=10.2307/1794586 }}</ref> Two attempts to conquer those islands had failed, and Kamehameha lost many men: bodies covered the beaches on Kaua{{okina}}i's eastern shores.<ref name="Gay-1981">{{cite book |title=Tales of the forbidden island of Niʻihau |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=SRZSAQAAIAAJ|page=17}} |last1=Gay |first1=Lawrence Kainoahou |publisher=Topgallant Publishing |year=1981 |isbn=0-914916-43-2 |page=17}}</ref> Finally, in 1810, Kamehameha amassed a great fleet, and Kaumuali{{okina}}i, the last independent {{lang|haw|ali{{okina}}i}}, surrendered rather than risk further bloodshed. Independence again became feasible after Kamehameha's death in 1819, but was put down when Kamehameha's widow Kaʻahumanu kidnapped Kaumuali{{okina}}i and forced him to marry her. Thereafter Ni{{okina}}ihau remained part of the unified [[History:Kingdom of Hawaii|Kingdom of Hawai{{okina}}i]].

[[File:Hawaiian Islands, Hale, Niihau, 1885, taken by Francis Sinclair.jpg|300px|thumb|A group of villagers at Puʻuwai Beach settlement, Ni{{okina}}ihau in 1885. Photograph taken by Francis Sinclair, son of Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair.]]
Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair (1800–1892) purchased Ni{{okina}}ihau and parts of Kaua{{okina}}i from Kamehameha V in 1864 for $10,000 in gold. Sinclair chose Ni{{okina}}ihau over other options, including Waikīkī and Pearl Harbor. By around 1875, Ni{{okina}}ihau's population consisted of about 350 Native Hawaiians, with 20,000 [[Biology:Sheep|sheep]].<ref name="Bird-1875">{{cite book |last1=Bird |first1=Isabella L. |title=The Hawaiian Archipelago |publisher=BiblioBazaar |year=2006 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=er-Y-eHjHpcC|page=212}} |isbn=1-4264-4990-9 |page=212}}</ref> This era marked the end of the art of Hawaiian mat-weaving made famous by the people of Ni{{okina}}ihau. {{lang|haw|Makaloa}} (''[[Biology:Cyperus|Cyperus]] [[Biology:Cyperus laevigatus|laevigatus]]''), a native [[Biology:Cyperaceae|sedge]], used to grow on the edges of Ni{{okina}}ihau's three intermittent lakes.<ref name="Joesting-1988">{{Cite book |last1=Joesting |first1=Edward |title=Kauai: The Separate Kingdom |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=GfWj0Pt3cwoC|page=188}}|publisher=University of Hawaii |year=1988 |isbn=0-8248-1162-3 |page=188}}</ref> The stems were harvested and used to weave {{lang|haw|moena makaloa}} (mats), considered the "finest sleeping mats in [[Place:Polynesia|Polynesia]]". The mats were valued by {{lang|haw|ali{{okina}}i}} and foreign visitors alike, but by the end of the 19th century, Hawaiians had stopped weaving {{lang|haw|makaloa}} due to changes in population, culture, economics, and the environment.<ref name="VanDyke-2001">{{cite journal |last1=Van Dyke |first1=Peter |title=Growing Makaloa (''Cyperus laevigatus'' L. ) in Constructed Wetlands for Weaving and Treating Wastewater: Final report for U.S. Geological Survey Grant No. 99CRGR0003 |publisher=Bishop Museum |date=June 2001 |url=http://www.bishopmuseum.org/exhibits/greenwell/images/makaloa.pdf}}</ref>

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.<ref name="khon2009" /> (See Sinclair-Robinson family tree)

Ni{{okina}}ihau played a small role during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. In what has come to be called the Ni{{okina}}ihau Incident (or the Battle of Ni{{okina}}ihau), a Japanese pilot whose [[Engineering:Mitsubishi A6M Zero|Zero]] had been hit crash-landed<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/pacific-plane-wrecks-amazing-pictures-of-abandoned-wwii-planes.html/attachment/4789904038_81ca14b47a_b|title=War History Online|first=Joris|last=Nieuwint|publisher=}}</ref> 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.<ref>The Ni{{okina}}ihau Incident serves as the backdrop for Caroline Paul's 2006 novel ''East Wind, Rain'' ({{ISBN|0-06-078075-4}}) and the opening chapter of Michelle Malkin's ''In Defense of Internment''.</ref>

Despite its self-imposed isolation, Ni{{okina}}ihau has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. military dating from 1924.<ref name="khon2009" /> There is a small Navy installation on the island. No military personnel are permanently stationed there, but the U.S. military has used the island for training special operations units, which included hiring Hawaiians who live on Ni{{okina}}ihau as "enemy" trackers.<ref name="sommer">Sommer, Anthony. [http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/05/14/news/story1.html "Niihau: Opening Up."] ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin''. May 14, 1999.</ref>

==Society==

===Politics===
The island of Ni{{okina}}ihau was considered as a possible location for the {{wipe|United Nations}} headquarters in 1944 by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had visited Hawaii in 1934.{{sfn|Tabrah|1987|p=1}} Under [[Biography:Cordell Hull|Cordell Hull]], Roosevelt's Secretary of State, the State Department seriously studied the proposal.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bemis |first=Samuel Flagg |title=The Memoirs of Cordell Hull |journal=The Journal of Modern History |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=317–320 |publisher=[[Organization:University of Chicago Press|University of Chicago Press]] |date=December 1949 |url= |doi=10.1086/237294}}</ref>

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.<ref>[http://www.hawaii.gov/elections/results/2004/general/precinct/16-09.pdf Hawaii 2004 election results for precinct 16-09]. Hawaii.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2006.</ref> In 2006 Dan Akaka received 60% of votes in the 2006 Senate election to Cynthia Thielen's 36%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://elections.hawaii.gov/election-results/|title=General Election 2006 – State of Hawaii – Statewide Final Summary Report|last=|first=|date=November 7, 2006|website=|access-date=June 1, 2018|state of hawaii office elections=}}</ref> In 2008, Ni{{okina}}ihau's precinct was one of only 3 of Hawai{{okina}}i's 538 precincts to vote for John McCain over [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]]. McCain received 35 votes, Obama received 4, and Cynthia McKinney received 1.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hawaii.gov/elections/results/2008/general/files/histatewidedetail.pdf|title=Office of Elections|publisher=}}</ref> In the 2016 presidential election, nearly 60% of the vote went for Donald Trump.<ref>{{cite news|title=Who Voted For Donald Trump In Hawaii?|url=http://www.civilbeat.org/2016/11/who-voted-for-donald-trump-in-hawaii/|accessdate=6 March 2017|publisher=Honolulu Civil Beat|date=18 November 2016}}</ref>

===Population===
[[File:Niihau helicopter.jpg|thumb|260px|Navy contractors from [[Organization:Pacific Missile Range Facility|PMRF]] arrive at Paniau Ridge on Ni{{okina}}ihau in an Agusta A109 helicopter. The seabird sanctuary island of Lehua can be seen in the background.]]
The 2010 census states that there were 170 people living on the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data |url=http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/census/Census_2010/demographic/demo_profile_ct_NI/2010dp_ct412.pdf |publisher=US Census Bureau |accessdate=24 April 2017}}</ref> However, witness accounts estimate that the population actually ranges between 35–50 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=That’s Just How I Rule |publisher=This American Life, 2017 |url=https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/611/vague-and-confused?act=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niihauheritage.org/niihau_today.htm|title=Ni`ihau Island Today – Learn about the Forbidden Island of Ni`ihau|publisher=}}</ref> Some support themselves largely by subsistence fishing and farming, while others depend on welfare.<ref name="crm">Langlas, Charles and Kehaulani Shintani. [http://crmjournal.cr.nps.gov/09_rwebsite_sub.cfm?issue=Volume%203%20Number%201%20Winter%202006&seq=8 "''Mälama ka ‘Äina: To Care For The Land''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223075113/http://crmjournal.cr.nps.gov/09_rwebsite_sub.cfm?issue=Volume%203%20Number%201%20Winter%202006&seq=8 |date=2012-02-23 }} [review]. ''CRM: The Journal of Heritage Stewardship.'' Vol. 3 No. 1 (Winter 2006).</ref> All residents live rent-free, and meat is free.<ref name="khon2009" /> Ni{{okina}}ihau 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 from rainwater catchment. The Robinson family established most of these conditions. There is no hotel, and barges deliver groceries from Kaua{{okina}}i, often purchased by relatives, with free shipping.<ref name="khon2009" />

Residents generally speak the [[Social:Hawaiian language#Niʻihau|Ni{{okina}}ihau dialect]] of [[Social:Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] 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 Ni{{okina}}ihau [[Social:Dialect|dialect]] differs from modern standard Hawaiian in that, for example, {{IPA|[t]}} and {{IPA|[ɾ]}} are the most common realizations of the phonemes {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/l/}}, respectively.<ref name="khon2009" /> Ni{{okina}}ihau is the only island where Hawaiian is spoken as a primary language.<ref name="Olsen-2001">{{cite journal |last1=Olsen |first1=Eric P. |title=Paradise Preserved |journal=World & I |volume=16 |issue=10 |pages=108 |date=October 2001}}</ref> Oral tradition maintains that the Ni{{okina}}ihau 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/.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} English is the second language.

Some residents have radio and television sets, although limited reception effectively limits the latter to watching pre-recorded media.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/97/07/14/features/story3.html |title=Niihau: Island at a Crossroad |first=Catherine Kekoa |last=Enomoto |year=1997 |work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin}}</ref> Ni{{okina}}ihau is subject to regular droughts that occasionally force the population to evacuate to Kaua{{okina}}i temporarily, until rainfall replenishes their water supply. Residents commonly also commute to Kaua{{okina}}i 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 an Agusta A109 helicopter for emergencies and for transporting Navy contractors and residents to and from Kaua{{okina}}i. Helicopter tours and safaris help offset the costs of this service.<ref>
{{cite web |title=Niihau – Hawaii’s "Forbidden Island" |publisher=Kauai Visitor Magazine |url=http://www.visitormagazines.com/kauai/edit/ed-niihau-KV.html |accessdate=2007-06-19 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230130945/http://www.visitormagazines.com/kauai/edit/ed-niihau-KV.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate=2006-12-30}}</ref>

A form of [[Biology:Ipu|ipu]] art is known to have developed solely on the island of Ni{{okina}}ihau.<ref name="Crites">{{cite journal |url=http://www.hanahou.com/pages/Magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=611&MagazineID=39 |title=The Ipu Guy |first=Jennifer |last=Crites |journal=Hana Hou! |volume=10 |issue=5 |date=October–November 2007 |accessdate=2007-10-18 |quote=This method developed <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Social:Circa|circa]] [[Religion:Anno Domini|AD]] 1600<nowiki>]</nowiki> 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.}}</ref><ref name="Bordessa">{{cite journal |url=http://www.craftzine-digital.com/craft/vol04/?pg=30&liid=659d5683f1 |title=The Lost Ipu Art of Niʻihau |first=Kris |last=Bordessa |journal=Craft: |volume=4 |year=2007 |access-date=2007-10-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204030000/http://www.craftzine-digital.com/craft/vol04/?pg=30&liid=659d5683f1 |archive-date=2008-12-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In this method, after a design is carved in the skin of a fresh [[Biology:Gourd|gourd]], it is filled with dye 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, with a cappella singers making use of only two or three tones and changing rhythms. [[Engineering:Ukulele|Ukulele]] and guitar playing is nearly ubiquitous among the islanders, and there are three separate styles of slack-key music, with an older style originating from Kohala.{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|p=105}}

===Education===
The Hawaii Department of Education operates the Ni{{okina}}ihau School, a K-12 school. Academic subjects and computer literacy are combined with teaching students to "thrive from the land".<ref name="khon2009">{{cite web |last=Mangieri |first=Gina |title=Niihau: Past, Present and Future |publisher=KHON-TV (report with video) |medium=Television production |date=22 June 2009 |url=http://www.khon2.com/content/news/niihauexclusive/story/Niihau-Past-Present-and-Future/B7JzKk34G0uf4my5mmCBRQ.cspx |quote=Partial transcript/monograph online in 12 parts}}</ref> The school is powered entirely by [[Engineering:Solar power|solar power]].<ref name="Gehrlein-2007">{{cite news |last=Gehrlein |first=Rachel |date=2007-12-15 |title=Niʻihau school first in state on solar power |newspaper=The Garden Island |url=http://thegardenisland.com/news/article_ea0d5db0-43b9-530f-8785-3230bd446f30.html |access-date=2010-02-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301074228/http://thegardenisland.com/news/article_ea0d5db0-43b9-530f-8785-3230bd446f30.html |archive-date=2017-03-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The number of students varies from 25 to 50 since families often travel between Ni{{okina}}ihau and Kaua{{okina}}i.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hawaii State Department of Education |url=http://power2.k12.hi.us/index.cfm?siteID=277 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120726212822/http://power2.k12.hi.us/index.cfm?siteID=277 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-07-26 |title=Niʻihau School }}</ref> Schoolchildren may stay with relatives in west Kaua{{okina}}i, where they attend one of two Ni{{okina}}ihau-focused public [[Social:Charter school|charter school]]s. At the Ke Kula Ni{{okina}}ihau o Kekaha school, students speak primarily the Ni{{okina}}ihau dialect through the early elementary grades, and then [[Social:Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] and English through grade 12. The school has a digital recording and video system, which helps to preserve and teach traditional Ni{{okina}}ihau and Hawaiian culture. At the other west Kaua{{okina}}i school, Kula Aupuni Ni{{okina}}ihau a Kahelelani Aloha (KANAKA), English is used in all grades, while still supporting the Ni{{okina}}ihau dialect. Both schools foster the culture, values, and spirituality of Ni{{okina}}ihau.<ref name="khon2009" />

==Economy==
Approximately 80% of Ni{{okina}}ihau's income comes from a small Navy installation atop 1,300-foot-high cliffs. Remote-controlled tracking devices are used for testing and training with Kaua'i's [[Organization:Pacific Missile Range Facility|Pacific 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.<ref name="khon2009" />

The sale of shells and shell jewelry is an additional source of income.{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|pp=36–37}} Its beaches are known for their ''pūpū'', tiny shells that wash onto shore during winter months. Species used for shell leis includes ''momi'' (''[[Biology:Euplica varians|Euplica varians]]''), ''laiki'' or rice shells (''Mitrella margarita'') and ''kahelelani'' (''[[Biology:Leptothyra verruca|Leptothyra verruca]]'').<ref name="moriarty">{{cite book |last=Moriarty |first=Linda Paik |title=Niʻihau Shell Leis |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=LY8dldokp9EC}}|publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1986 |isbn=0-8248-0998-X}}</ref> The shells and jewelry are so popular that Governor Linda Lingle signed a bill in 2004 to protect ''lei pūpū o Ni{{okina}}ihau'' (Ni{{okina}}ihau shell leis) from counterfeiting.<ref>
[http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2004/bills/HB2569_sd1_.htm H.B. No. 2569]. See also: {{cite news |title=Governor signs Niihau shell bill |newspaper=Pacific Business News |date=2004-05-24 |url=http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/05/24/daily76.html |accessdate=2007-06-05}}</ref> A single, intricate Ni{{okina}}ihau shell lei can sell for thousands of dollars.<ref name="khon2009" />

[[File:Niihau-Trash-Beach.jpg|thumb|Trash deposited by the ocean on a windward Ni{{okina}}ihau beach]]Many residents of Ni{{okina}}ihau were once employees of Ni{{okina}}ihau 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 |date=July 2009}} Honey cultivation{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|p=xv}} was also no longer viable by 1999.<ref name="sommer" /> Kiawe charcoal was once a large-scale export, but aggressive Mexican price competition ended that as well.<ref name="khon2009" /> Mullet farming has been popular on Ni{{okina}}ihau, with ponds and lakes stocked with baby mullet, which reach {{convert|9|-|10|lb|kg}} apiece before being harvested and sold on [[Earth:Kauai|Kaua{{okina}}i]] and O{{okina}}ahu.{{sfn|Tava|Keale|1998|pp=66–67}}

Bruce Robinson, Ni{{okina}}ihau's co-owner, is seeking and considering new forms of non-invasive income generation. Depending on feasibility, impact, and [[Earth:Ecological footprint|ecological footprint]] on the ecosystem and culture, possibilities include: JP-8 generation by the lignocellulose process; military, including a possible runway; and windmill energy production. Robinson has declined offers to purchase sand from Ni{{okina}}ihau's beaches, because of adverse environmental effects.<ref name="khon2009" />

===Tourism===
Ni{{okina}}ihau's owners have offered half-day helicopter and beach tours of the island since 1987,<ref>{{cite news |title=Flying visitors can catch glimpse of "The Forbidden Isle" |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=1987-08-15}}</ref> although contact with residents is avoided and no accommodation exists.<ref name="owners">
[http://65.61.16.97/Niihau/Index.asp Niihau Island]</ref> Since 1992,<ref>{{cite news |first=Rodrigo |last=Christine |title=Safaris debut on Forbidden Island |newspaper=Pacific Business News |date=1992-04-06}}</ref> hunting safaris provide income via tourists who pay to visit the island to hunt [[Biology:Taurotragus|eland]], aoudad, and [[Biology:Oryx|oryx]], as well as wild [[Biology:Sheep|sheep]] and boars. Any meat the hunters do not take with them is given to the village.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin|colwidth=60em}}
* {{cite book
 |last=Beekman |first=Allan
 |title=The Niihau Incident
 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=fFhUAAAACAAJ}}
 |publisher=Heritage Press of Pacific
 |year=1995
 |location=Honolulu, HI
 |isbn=0-9609132-0-3
 |origyear=1982
}}
*{{cite journal
 |last=Fisher |first=Harvey I.
 |title=The Avifauna of Niihau Island, Hawaiian Archipelago
 |jstor=1364585
 |journal=The Condor
 |volume=53 |issue=1 |pages=31–42
 |publisher=Cooper Ornithological Society
 |date=Jan–Feb 1951
 |issn=0010-5422
 |doi=10.2307/1364585}}
*{{cite book
 |last=Macdonald |first=Gordon A.
 |author2=Agatin T. Abbott |author3=Frank L. Peterson
 |title=Volcanoes in the Sea: The Geology of Hawaii
 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=IuADTBNksO0C}}
 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press
 |edition=2nd |origyear=1970 |year=1983
 |location=Honolulu
 |isbn=0-8248-0832-0}}
*{{cite journal
 |last=Mitchell
 |first=C. |author2=C. Ogura |author3=D.W. Meadows |author4=A. Kane |author5=L. Strommer |author6=S. Fretz |author7=D. Leonard |author8=A. McClung
 |title=Hawaii's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Chapter 6: Island Conservation Needs - Niʻihau
 |version=Final
 |publisher=Department of Land and Natural Resources
 |date=2005-10-01
 |url=http://www.state.hi.us/dlnr/dofaw/cwcs/files/NAAT%20final%20CWCS/Chapters/CHAPTER%206%20Niihau%20NAAT%20final%20!.pdf
 |format=PDF |accessdate=2009-03-23}}
*{{Cite book
 |last1=Morgan |first1=Joseph R.
 |title=Hawai'i: A Unique Geography
 |contribution=Kaua'i and Ni'ihau
 |publisher=The Bess Press
 |year=1996 |isbn=1-57306-021-6}}
*{{Cite book
 |last1=Nordyke |first1=Eleanor C.
 |title=The Peopling of Hawaiʻi
 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=jRq09rgP_HYC}}
 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press
 |year=1989 |isbn=0-8248-1191-7}}
*{{cite book
<!-- |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=nCA0UuGlJG8C|page=99}}-->
 |title=State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide
 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=j1UYAAAAIAAJ}}
 |first=Barbara Smith
 |last=Shearer
 |edition=3
 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group
 |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-313-31534-3 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite news
 |last=Sommer
 |first=Anthony
 |title=Niihau: Opening Up
 |work=News
 |publisher=Honolulu Star-Bulletin
 |date=1999-05-14
 |url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/1999/05/14/news/story1.html
 |accessdate=2009-07-23}}
*{{Cite book
 |last1=Tabrah |first1=Ruth M.
 |title=Niʻihau, the last Hawaiian island
 |publisher=Press Pacifica
 |year=1987 |isbn=0-916630-59-5 |ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book
 |last1=Tava
 |first1=Rerioterai
 |last2=Keale
 |first2=Moses K.
 |title=Niihau, the traditions of a Hawaiian island
 |publisher=Mutual Publishing
 |year=1998
 |url=http://www.mutualpublishing.com/bookinfo.aspx?bookID=242
 |isbn=0-935180-80-X
 |ref=harv
 |access-date=2007-10-06
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524120258/http://www.mutualpublishing.com/bookinfo.aspx?bookID=242
 |archive-date=2013-05-24
 |url-status=dead
 }}
*{{Cite book
 |last1=Wichman |first1=Juliet Rice
 |last2=St. John |first2=Harold
 |title=A Chronicle and Flora of Niihau
 |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=pRomAQAAMAAJA}}
 |publisher=National Tropical Botanical Garden
 |year=1990 |isbn=0-915809-14-1}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{commons|Niihau}}
*{{cite journal |last=Barnhart |first=Sky |title=The Flowers of Niihau |journal=Maui Nō Ka ʻOi Magazine |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages= |publisher= |location= |date=July 2008 |url=http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/July-August-2008/The-Flowers-of-Niihau/ |accessdate=2009-08-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723205055/http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/July-August-2008/The-Flowers-of-Niihau/ |archive-date=2011-07-23 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book |last=Clark |first=John R. K. |title=Beaches of Kauaʻi and Niʻihau |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |year=1990 |location=Honolulu, Hawaii |pages=79–102 |isbn=0-8248-1260-3}}
*{{cite journal |last=Conover |first=Adele |author2=Gary Braasch |title=A Onetime Rancher Wages Lonely War to Save Rare Plants |journal=Smithsonian |volume=27 |issue=8 |page=114 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |date=November 1996}}
*{{cite journal |last=Daws |first=Gavan |author2=Timothy Heap |title=Niihau a shoal of time |journal=American Heritage |volume=14 |issue=6 |publisher=American Heritage Publishing Company |date=October 1962 |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1963/6/1963_6_48.shtml |accessdate=2008-05-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219195340/http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1963/6/1963_6_48.shtml |archive-date=2009-02-19 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite journal |last=Laracy |first=Hugh |date=September 2001 |title=The Sinclairs of Pigeon bay and the Romantic 'Pre-history' of the Robinsons of Niihau |journal=Journal of Pacific History |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=183–199 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.1080/00223340120075560}}
*{{cite book |last1=Licayan |first1=Emalia |last2=Nizo |first2=Virginia |last3=Kanahele |first3=Elama |editor1-last=Kanahele |editor1-first=Elama |editor2-last=Armitage |editor2-first=Kimo |editor3-last=NeSmith |editor3-first=Keao |title=Aloha Niihau: Oral Histories |publisher=Island Heritage Publishing |year=2007 |location=Waipahu, Hawaii |isbn=1-59700-209-7}}
*{{cite journal |last=May |first=Ernest R |title=They Never Leave This Real Shangri-La |volume=219 |issue=18 |pages=28–67 |journal=The Saturday Evening Post |date=1946-11-02 |issn=0048-9239}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Meyer |first=Philip A. |year=1998 |title=Niihau – Present Circumstances and Future Requirement in an Evolving Hawaiian Community |place=Ni'ihau, Hawai'i |publisher=Hoomana Ia Iesu Church}}
*{{cite book |last=Paul |first=Caroline |title=East Wind, Rain |publisher=Harper Perennial |year=2007 |isbn=0-06-078076-2 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/eastwindrain00caro }}
*{{cite book |last=Stepien |first=Edward R. |year=1988 |origyear=1984 |volume=1 |title=Niʻihau, A Brief History |hdl=10125/15544 |location=Honolulu |publisher=Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian, & Pacific Studies, [[Organization:University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of Hawaii at Manoa]] |pages=1–134}}
*{{cite book |last=Stepien |first=Edward R. |year=1988 |origyear=1984 |volume=2 |title=Niʻihau, A Brief History |hdl=10125/15544 |location=Honolulu |publisher=Center for Pacific Islands Studies, School of Hawaiian, Asian, & Pacific Studies, [[Organization:University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of Hawaii at Manoa]] |pages=135–268}}

{{Hawaiian volcanism}}
{{Coord|21|54|N|160|10|W|type:isle_scale:500000|display=title}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Niihau}}
[[Category:Extinct volcanoes]]

{{Sourceattribution|Niʻihau|1}}