Niʻihau: Peleʻs Hawaiian Landfall, A History

Niʻihau basks like a whale—or in some lights, like a jewel—across the sea from Kauaʻi. Fewer than a hundred Niihauans now live there, but it is the spiritual home to many more elsewhere in Hawai‘i. Long known as the “Forbidden Island,” it is seldom visited by outsiders. In this fully illustrated, wide-ranging study, Steven Gentry explores: — The natural world of Niʻihau, and how its plants and animals have evolved and adapted to Polynesian and European arrivals— Origins of Niʻihau’s inhabitants, their journey to the Hawaiian islands; Niihauan creation myths and voyaging traditions, and the development of a distinctive culture— The mixed blessings of European arrival in the Hawaiian islands, 1778— Niʻihau’s complex relationship with Kauaʻi— Purchase of Niʻihau from King Kamehameha by the Sinclair family— Early missionaries and ranching— Aubrey Robinson’s leadership and family, 1880s to the 1920s— Aylmer Robinson’s stewardship of the island— State and private ownership, and preservation