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(#1) A Wealthy Scottish Matriarch Bought It From A Hawaiian King For $10,000 In Gold
In 1864, Eliza Hutchinson, widow of Scottish sea captain Francis Sinclair, paid King Kamehameha IV $10,000 in gold to buy the island of Niihau. As he signed over the land, King Kamehameha IV allegedly said:
Niihau is yours. But the day may come when Hawaiians are not as strong in Hawaii as they are now. When that day comes, please do what you can to help them.
Hutchinson also bought a piece of land in the Makaweli District of Kauai, where she built a family compound. It was on this compound that her great-grandson, Lester Robinson, grew up. He would go on to own Niihau with his wife.
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(#8) The Island Is Host To Navy Special Ops Training And R&D For Military Defense
While the island's economy once relied on ranching, the business hasn't been profitable in recent years. The Robinsons have tried making honey and charcoal, but neither proved lucrative.
Niihau makes its money today through military contracts. The island is home to a US Navy radar facility. Niihau additionally hosts Navy exercises. Keith Robinson is proud of the military contracts because they've kept the island and its inhabitants afloat without having to open the island to Hawaii's tourism industry:
Without that money, frankly, your community, your jobs would not have survived. It's just that simple. For the time being, US Navy is your source of income that keeps all of you going here and which keeps us going and allows us to pay the taxes on this place.
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(#13) Visits To The Island Are By Invitation, Or By Exclusive Tour
It's possible to visit the island for $440 by helicopter. When the Robinsons purchased a helicopter in the '80s, they began offering tours to offset the cost. The helicopter is mostly for emergencies and to transport residents to nearby islands if need be.
Tourists can ride in the helicopter for a small fee. A pilot circles Niihau then lands on one of the island's northernmost beaches, where visitors can stay for a few hours. The Robinsons also run safaris, where visitors can hunt wild boar.
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(#12) Government Officials Have Long Tried To Force Niihau To 'Modernize,' With Little Success
After WWII, a territorial legislature and then a US Senate committee visited Niihau. They deemed the residents' way of life untenable and told them they had to modernize. The committee viewed the island residents as subservient to the Robinsons.
When the island's leaders refused to change their ways, the Senate committee took issue. One member said, "[As] kindly and paternal as the dominion of their landlords is, it is still irreconcilable with the principles of liberty and the freedom of individuals upon which our Nation was founded." A number of Hawaiian leaders supported the Robinsons, however, and the government never fully succeeded in forcing the island to modernize.
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(#9) Niihau Has No Indoor Plumbing, Cars, Stores, Internet, Paved Roads, Or Police
Hawaiian reporter Adia White describes Niihau as "Hawaii circa 1864." There are no paved roads, and the houses are rudimentary - they're one story with tin roofs and large yards. Wild turkey, pigs, and fish are plentiful on Niihau, and residents often catch their own food. The Robinsons order food from nearby Kauai to supplement hunting and fishing.
The town consists of a church, a school, and a small meeting hall. The police force is nonexistent; a local priest solves any conflicts. But there are no stores, and residents of the island don't use money. Besides a working solar panel, electricity is limited.
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(#4) During The Pearl Harbor Air Raid, A Crash Landing Led To A Fatal Confrontation Now Known As 'The Niihau Incident'
Following the air raid on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japanese pilot Shigenori Nishikaichi was escorting another aircraft to carry out a strike on nearby US Army airbase Bellows Field, but an American aircraft struck his plane. He crash landed on Niihau; the island had yet to receive news of the air raid and Japan's declaration of joining WWII.
Polynesian native Hawila Kaleohano confiscated the pilot's papers with important codes and military plans. He called over Yoshio and Irene Harada to speak to the pilot in Japanese. He told them the news of Pearl Harbor, and they kept it a secret from their fellow islanders.
Yoshi attempted to help Nishikaichi retrieve the papers Kaleohano had taken from him upon his landing. Kaleohano fled and hid the papers at his mother-in-law's house. Yoshi and Nishikaichi set fire to Kaleohano's home and took several townspeople hostage, including Benehakaka and Ella Kanahele. During an altercation, Nishikaichi shot Benehakaka, which enraged the captor. Benehakaka threw Nishikaichi against a wall, then cut his neck while Ella fatally beat the pilot with a rock.
Yoshi also perished in the fight after accidentally shooting himself in the gut. Authorities imprisoned Irene for three years in Honolulu. Benehakaka received the Medal for Merit and a Purple Heart, and Kaleohano was awarded a Medal of Freedom and a sum of money to repair his property affected by the crash.
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About This Tool
We all know that Hawaii is the only archipelago state in the United States, consisting of 132 islands in the central Pacific, but only a few important islands. Among them, Niihau island is a completely private island, even Hawaiians from other islands cannot enter. Niihau became a forbidden island in 1864 when Scotsman Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair bought the island and closed the coastline. The island still belongs to the family.
Not only it has a unique culture, but Niihau is also home to many endangered species. An isolated and rigorous lifestyle has both advantages and disadvantages, in recent years, more people have gradually left the island. The generator shows more information about the privately owned island.
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