The Robinson Family Owns Niihau Island
The Robinson Family Owns Niihau Island
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A small group of people call the secluded island of Niihau home. They live a life that makes off-the-grid survivalists look like city slickers. They speak Hawaiian as their first language, hunt for their food, and rely on rainwater catching systems and generators for power. They are not allowed to visit the rest of Hawaii, which is how the island got its nickname, Forbidden Island. The Robinson family, which has owned the island since 1864, strictly controls who can land on the island, with visits limited to residents, the family’s guests, and government officials.
When King Kamehameha V sold the land to the Robinson family back in 1864, he pledged to safeguard the indigenous culture of the island and its people. The Robinsons have upheld that promise for more than 150 years, keeping the island’s access restricted to ensure that those born on Niihau can live there their entire lives with minimal contact with the outside world. There are no paved roads, cars, hotels, stores, restaurants, or doctors on the 69-square mile island. Those who land on the island must do so with the permission of the family and for a specific reason, such as business meetings or to meet a doctor or lawyer, and even then visitors are accompanied by a member of the Robinson family.
There is, however, a way for outsiders to visit Niihau: helicopter tours. The half-day excursions, which include a tour of the island before landing on one of its pristine beaches (which may change Who owns niihau island depending on weather conditions), have a price tag of more than $200 per person. The Robinsons offer the tours to raise money for the chopper, which they use to evacuate Niihau residents during emergencies. The family also offers a variety of other guided tours, and has recently begun selling its cattle on the mainland.
Niihau’s residents are predominately Hawaiian Polynesian, with a small strain of Japanese and English. They rely on the island’s sole school for education and follow rules set by the Robinson family as well as their elders. They are forbidden from wearing earrings or long hair, and can be evicted if they drink alcohol.
The Robinsons don’t allow police officers to patrol the island, and county government agencies have no response protocols for incidents there, such as coronavirus outbreaks. The Kauai Fire Department can only access the island with the family’s chopper, and the local health department must request permission to send teams to the island. This is one of the reasons that Governor David Ige wants to force the family to sell to the state, arguing that a private sale will eventually devolve into a development frenzy. He has asked legislators to approve the purchase, and the state hopes to finalize a deal before any bidding drives the price out of reach. A sale is expected to take about a year to complete. Report this page