Niihau basks like a whale―or in some lights, like a jewel―across the sea from Kauai. 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 Niihau, and how its plants and animals have evolved and adapted to Polynesian and European arrivals ― Origins of Niihau’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 ― Niihau’s complex relationship with Kauai ― Purchase of Niihau 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 of the Niihauan language ― Dramatic and intriguing stories of island life, past and present.