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 curriculum 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 in agreement that Ni'ihau represents a priceless asset for Hawaiians.  Many natives 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.

Ni'ihau Shell  leis (pictured above) have long been treasured for their beauty and painstaking craftsmanship.  The long process of making a necklace begins with collecting the tiny shells from ocean swept beaches, and grading them according to color and size.  When you consider that a dozen shells would fit on your thumbnail, and the most prized are as small as the letter o on this page, you can begin to appreciate the difficulty of the task.  The necklace may be strung in a variety of ways.

O'ahu     Maui      LanaŽi       Moloka'i      The Big Island      Kaua'i     NiŽihau     

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