The Fascinating Story of the Forbidden Island of Niihau
By: Mythili The Dreamer
Tags: World, History, Travel, Culture, Life

The story of Niihau

The story of Niihau starts with Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ McHutchenson who was born in Scotland in 1800. As she reached adulthood, she went on to marry a ship captain named Francis Sinclair in the year 1824. The two had six children together.

The couple led a simple life and it was somewhere after the birth of their sixth child they decided to move to New Zealand to start a fresh life. We don’t know what their real motives were but tragedy struck them in New Zealand when Francis took his eldest son out on a sailing expedition. Unfortunately, this trip turned into a tragedy. The ship sank and there were no survivors. All cargo and lives were lost.

Elizabeth did not waste time in shedding tears. She was resilient and she had 5 children to look after singlehandedly. She took over her husband’s farming business and make it immensely successful. In the year 1863, she set off to the U.S to start another farming business there.

She initially made plans to move to California, but then she heard about the pristine beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. Back then, the Hawaiian Islands were known as the Sandwich Islands. She decided to invest in these islands. She set off for the islands and soon met with King Kamehameha V, the then king of the Hawaiian Kingdom.

The king agreed to sell Niihau island with the condition that Elizabeth and her descendants protect the integrity of the island and keep its residents safe from all outside influences. As the king 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.”

Sinclair and her descendants, the Robinsons, have done their best to honor the king’s request. Niihau is a world apart from the mainland U.S despite the proximity. Despite having a number of permanent residents, the island has no roads, no cars, no stores, no restaurants, no internet, no electricity, and no indoor plumbing. People living there have very little contact with the outside world.

As a Hawaiian reporter, Adia White describes Niihau as ‘Hawaii circa 1864’ when she says.

“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.”

In the decades that followed, the Robinsons battled to keep the island out of state control. Former Hawaiian governor John Burns campaigned hard to have the Robinsons evicted and convert the island turned into a state park, and in the process “help” the native Niihauans to join civilization.

But since Burns’ passing, the island’s current co-owners, brothers Keith and Bruce Robinson, have continued opposing the Hawaiian authorities over their efforts to maintain Niihauan traditions.

The island today is a peaceful utopian society untouched by modern life but with the permanent residents gradually leaving in search of better opportunities, depopulation remains the biggest threat to the island’s future.