December 7, 1941 is the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the Imperial Japanese Navy attacked the American naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing nearly 2,500 US military personnel. And, despite the fact that the Japanese attack is often said to be planned as a one-sided attack by suicide pilots whose return no one expected, this is not true. Japanese Navy officials realized that many of their aircraft would be so damaged that they would not be able to safely return to their carriers. Niihau Island (shown in red in the photo above) was chosen as the meeting place for everyone involved in the operation after it was completed. A stop at Niihau made sense: the island is only a 30-minute flight from Pearl Harbor, and it's tiny (180 sq. km), making it a safe hiding place for those waiting for rescuers there. In addition, it was uninhabited, which reduced the risk of attack or capture by outsiders. local residents. The pilots were told to fly to Niihau and wait there until a submarine surfaced and picked them up.

It was certainly a good plan, but it went horribly wrong. As a result, it turned out that from Pearl Harbor to Niihau was not as easy to get as expected, and only one Japanese pilot was able to land safely off its shores. More importantly, Niihau was not uninhabited.

At the time, Niihau was owned (yes, someone can own an entire island) by a man named Aylmer Robinson. (His ancestors acquired it from King Kamehameha V and the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1864). Although Robinson did not live there, he ran it from Kauai, itself large island east of Niihau. Robinson rarely allowed outsiders into his territory. It so happened that, other than a handful of Hawaiians on Niihau, few visitors knew anything more than that the island was “uninhabited.”

As planned, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese pilot named Shigenori Nishikaichi crash-landed on Niihau. Nishikaichi's plane landed just a few meters from one of the Niihau residents, whose name was Hawila Kaleohano. Kaleohano, like other residents of the island, was unaware of the events that occurred that day, but knew that the threat of war had been looming between Japan and the United States for months. Kaleohano, based on this information, took the pilot's weapons and documents until Nishikaichi came to his senses. But then they both found themselves in a difficult situation as they were unable to communicate with each other. Nishikaichi spoke only Japanese. But Kaleohano, and most of the islanders for that matter, are not. They only spoke Hawaiian.

However, a caveat must be made here. Specifically on the island were Yoshio and Irene Harada, a husband and wife of Japanese descent, both of whom spoke Japanese. Nishikaichi told the Harada family about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and they decided not to share this information with the non-Japanese islanders. But within a few days after the island's residents decided to throw a party for Nishikaichi, many of them heard the radio and learned of the real reason why the Japanese had come to Niihau. Robinson was scheduled to visit Niihau the very next day (as he or his representative did every week), and the islanders decided that Nishikaichi should be handed over to Robinson's guards, who were returning from Kauai with its owner. But Robinson never showed up. Unbeknownst to the people of Niihau, the US military had cut off all naval traffic in the area, and Robinson was stranded on Kauai. When he did not arrive, the Haradas offered to keep Nishikaichi in their hut, to which the rest of the population agreed (but only on the condition that five people would stay in the hut, rotating from time to time and thus acting as temporary guards).

But they probably shouldn't have introduced a shift change. Harada and Nishikaichi beat up the guards and took two pistols from a nearby warehouse. On the evening of December 12, as the villagers went into the bush and onto the beaches, combing the entire island in search of fugitives, three Japanese decided to obtain Nishikaichi's documents and therefore find Kaleohano. But they couldn't find anything or anyone. Kaleohano gave the documents to one of his relatives and then left the island on a ten o'clock boat to find Robinson. Nishikaichi burned his house to the ground and, with Harada's help, captured a woman named Ella Kanahele. Using her as his bargaining chip, Nishikaichi ordered her husband, Ben, to track down Kaleohano and bring him to them. Ben Kanahele knew that Kaleohano had left the island, but he did not return to the Japanese for as long as he could. When he returned empty-handed, Harada told him that Nishikaichi planned to kill everyone before Kaleohano returned.

Therefore, Ben Kanahele attacked Nishikaichi first and knocked him to the ground. Nishikaichi fired his gun at Ben, hitting him three times, but Ella jumped in between them to save her husband. Harada then dragged Ella away from Nishikaichi, but by then Ben had managed to lift the pilot and slam him into a wall and eventually slit his throat with a knife, after which Ella hit Nishikaichi in the head with a rock. Harada turned the gun on himself and committed suicide. Robinson arrived the next day and Irene Harada was taken into custody as only person of Japanese origin on the island.

The Niihau incident, as it is now called, made headlines across the country. Ben Kanahela was commended for his bravery and, despite being a private citizen, was awarded the Purple Heart. Irene Harada was jailed for two and a half years.

Additional fact: the Robinson family still owns Niihau. According to Wikipedia, the two brothers who now head the family were offered $1 billion to sell the island to the US government, but they repeatedly refused the offer.

Copyright site © - Natalya Zakalyk

So love naval battle or something from the war series, and love to play these games on your Windows Phone

This is a selection of islands that are somehow unusual and famous. The list is in no particular order as each island is unique in its own way. So this one is really more like a grocery list than a “countdown from ten to one” list. The islands listed were also chosen because they are not well known, which explains why, for example, Easter Island is not on the list - everyone has already heard of it! So, the most unusual islands are waiting for you...

Niihau Island

The westernmost of the eight main Hawaiian Islands, Niihau (pronounced "Nee-ee-haw") differs from the other seven in that it is privately owned. Having been purchased by Elizabeth Sinclair from the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1864, it is one of the most unusual islands in the world. Visitors are rarely allowed to visit Niihau, which is why it is also called the “Forbidden Island”. Although, in last years The island began to accept a very limited flow of tourists participating in safari. Niihau's population hovers around 130 people who speak their native Hawaiian language.

Niihau formed about 4.9 million years ago and is geologically younger than the neighboring island of Kauai, which formed about 5 million years ago. The island consists of one extinct volcano. Lake Niihau is the only lake in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Niihau has a relatively dry climate, due to the fact that the island lies in Kauai, and in addition, Niihau does not have much high mountains, which could capture precipitation from. As a result, prolonged droughts are quite common on the island. A traveler who visited the Hawaiian Islands in 1792 writes that the entire population of Niihau was forced to abandon the island and move to Kauai to avoid famine.

Story

Map of Sweet Potato Bay and Niihau, diary of Captain George Dixon, 1788.

By 1795, Kamehameha succeeded in uniting all the islands except Kauai and Niihau. Two attempts to conquer these islands failed, and Kamehameha lost many warriors, whose bodies covered the beaches on the eastern shores of Kauai. Finally, in 1810, Kamehameha equipped a large fleet, and Kaumualii, the last independent ali'i, surrendered to the mercy of the victor rather than risk further bloodshed. Independence became possible again after Kamehameha's death in 1819, but was suppressed when Kamehameha's widow kidnapped Kaumualii and forced him to marry her. After this, Niihau remained part of the united one.

In 1864 (1800-1892) she bought the island of Niihau and part of the island from the king for 10,000 gold. Sinclair chose Niihau over and. In 1876, the population of Niihau numbered 350 Aboriginal people and 20 thousand sheep. This era marked the decline of the Hawaiian art of mat weaving, celebrated by the Niihau people. Makaloa (Cyperus laevigatus), a native sedge grown on the edges of Niihau's three drying lakes. The stems were collected and used for weaving moena-makaloa(mats), considered "the best sleeping mats in Polynesia." Mats were valued as aliyah, and foreigners, but by the end of the 19th century production Makaloa ceased due to changes in population, culture, economy and environment.

Population

As of 2009, about 130 people permanently reside on the island. Almost all of them are ethnic and live in the largest locality islands - village (English). Part of the island's population earns income by working and, while the other part depends on social benefits. Niihau has no telephone service, no cars, and no paved roads. Only horses and bicycles are used for transport. Solar panels fully provide the island's population with electricity. Also, there is no running water on Niihau; water comes from rainwater harvesting. There are no hotels or shops on the island; goods and products are transported by ships from Kauai.

The native language of the island's population is the Niihauan dialect, which differs slightly from the modern literary dialect. Today Niihau - the only island archipelago whose main language is Hawaiian.

Some residents of the island have radios and televisions, but the use of the latter is virtually limited to watching videotapes and DVDs due to poor coverage. Sometimes, during severe droughts, the population of Niihau is completely evacuated to Kauai before the first rainfall can replenish the local water supply. Niihau has a school providing a full 12 years of education. Like other buildings on the island, the school is also fully powered by solar panels. The number of students varies from 25 to 50, as many families live part of the time on Kauai. In addition, some students from Niihau are constantly enrolled in 2 schools on the island of Kauai.

Owners of the island

Since 1864, the island has been the private property of the family.

Notes

1. Table 5.08 - Land Area of ​​Islands: 2000 (undefined) . 2004 State of Hawaii Data Book Archived from the original on February 29, 2012.
2. Table 5.11 - Elevations of Major Summits (undefined) (PDF). 2004 State of Hawaii Data Book. State of Hawaii (2004). Retrieved July 23, 2007. Archived February 29, 2012.
3. Juvik, Sonia P. Atlas of Hawaii. - University of Hawaii Press, 1998. - P. 3-6. — .
4. , pp. 10-11
5. , p. 49
6. , p. 13.
7. Kam, Nadine. The real deal: Genuine Niihau shells have lasting quality, Features, (May 17, 2004). Retrieved July 21, 2007.
8. , pp. 13-14.
9. Coulter, John Wesley. Great Britain in Hawaii: The Captain Cook Monument (English) // The Geographical Journal. - 1964. - Vol. 130. - P. 2. - :10.2307/1794586 .
10. Gay, Lawrence Kainoahou. [ in "" Tales of the forbidden island of Niʻihau]. - Topgallant Publishing, 1981. - P. 17. - .

Niihau... Forbidden Hawaiian Island... Or silent... second name... The smallest of inhabited islands Hawaiian archipelago. Niihau is one of the main eight Hawaiian islands, classified as the southeastern islands.
This wonderful island is accessible to visitors only to native Hawaiians (relatives of those living on this island) or personal guests of the Robinson family.
You can only get around on this island by bicycle or on foot. Its area is almost 180 km2.
This forbidden island is home to the only lake in the Hawaiian Islands, Halulu.
There are only 250 indigenous people who speak exclusively Hawaiian among themselves (and their way of life has not changed significantly over the last century)
The island has no shops, no restaurants, no paved roads, no electricity, no medical services, the only thing there is a harbor, a small school and bamboo huts.
Niihau is the driest island in the Hawaiian Islands. This is the only island where the Lei flower does not grow (remember, in the movies, beautiful Hawaiian women always greet tourists wearing necklaces made of these flowers?)
And, if a guest arrives on the island (strictly at the invitation of the island residents or members of the Robinson family), then he is greeted with a shell Ley (made from special shells that can only be found on the beaches of this island), and since these are very rare shells, collectors willing to pay thousands of dollars for these shell flowers.
The only available work on the island is on the Robinson family's ranch (raising cattle).
The residents themselves are actively engaged in agriculture, fishing and hunting (they only use nets, spears, knives and ropes)

By the way, in principle, you can get to the island by boat from the neighboring island of Kauai, but you won’t be able to moor, much less go ashore.
You can only admire the mesmerizing views, you can also swim with a mask, but going ashore is strictly prohibited (((
Do you know how much this wonderful island was bought for by a woman named Elizabeth Sinclair, who lived on the neighboring island of Kauai in 1863? For 10,000 dollars!!! It was for this amount that King Kamehameha IV sold it
Now, her heirs, the Robinson family, own this tiny island of paradise and are trying to preserve the primitive Hawaiian culture on it.
And, as I read in one of the magazines, a practically slave-owning system flourishes there:
Mr. Robinson was a peculiar person. He bought up all the land on the island to leave this tropical paradise for yourself and your family. He was not interested in anything other than animal husbandry. He did not allow the telephone to be installed on Niihau, and did not want to hear about the radio. In addition, he did not allow weapons to be brought to Niihau. As a result, he remained there as the sole owner of a hunting rifle and two pistols.
There were never any strangers on Niihau. Tourists were not allowed on the island. Only once a week a boat arrived there from Kauai, the nearest large island of the Hawaiian archipelago. She delivered groceries and left mail and newspapers.
Today, three representatives of the Robinson family live on the island: the ruler and owner of all things, Helen, and her two sons, Bruce and Kate, obedient executors of their mother’s will. In addition to them, 250 Hawaiians live here.
Of these, only two people enjoy relative freedom and independence. These are teachers from a tiny local school who teach children to read, write and count.
They cannot give much knowledge - they do not have the appropriate qualifications. All the other residents are in the Robinson's position... no, not Friday's friendly assistants, but powerless servants - maybe even slaves. Someone takes care of livestock; others take care of fuel for the Robinsons' house; still others provide the family of rulers with fresh honey from wild bees all year round; still others collect the largest and most beautiful shells on the coast; fifths make necklaces from them, which the owner’s sons Bruce and Kate personally sell to tourists at the market in the capital of Hawaii, Honolulu; sixth, seventh...
In a word, Lady Robinson “took care” of all her subjects and found something useful for everyone - for her own family - to do. Perhaps the islanders are allowed to leave Niihau? No. It's "illegal." For any more or less important business, either the mistress herself or her children travel to the neighboring islands. It only happens - but extremely rarely - that one of the subjects is sent to Honolulu on an errand. In this case, he is obliged to return and report on execution. And God forbid, if in the capital he talks about the living conditions and order prevailing on Niihau: severe punishment will await the violator of the ban. Therefore, in Hawaii, Niihau is also known by another name: “Island of the Silent Ones.”
By the way, when the governor of the Hawaiian Islands decided to visit the island, the Robinsons refused him a visa and he could not do it!!! Journalists also repeatedly tried to enter the island. And the most they could do was stay there for one day, and then they were always discovered and sent to Kauai...
Yes! In addition to the Hawaiians, two Japanese lived on the island. One of them looked after the Robinson family's apiary.
The Robinsons took care of the adoption of Christianity on the island
One day, a malfunctioning Japanese military plane landed on the island. And the inhabitants of the island took the pilot prisoner. (this was during the attack on Pearl Harbor) The pilot informed the inhabitants of the island that their land now belongs to the Japanese (((Of course, he was bluffing!
By the way, every evening we met the sunset, saying goodbye to the sun. Moreover, one could always see people turning their faces to the ocean and carefully watching the luminary entering the water. Usually, I got tired of this activity in the second week, and I tried to return to regular activities, to which they started shushing me and telling me that I should definitely try to see a green flush.
I still couldn’t understand what it was that all the residents were waiting in fascination every evening. Only once did I manage to witness this miracle. It lasted only a moment. As I later found out on the Internet, this phenomenon is called a “green ray”. At some point, when the sun goes completely into the ocean, you can see a ray of green light, as if emerging from the waves. I will not go into details of the origin of this miracle, I will only say that this phenomenon occurs for the same reasons as a rainbow, due to the dispersion of light. At such moments there should be no clouds in the sky. The flash itself occurs at lightning speed and can only be seen if you watch the sun very carefully.
I was never able to photograph this miracle of nature, no matter how hard I tried (((
Well, how do you like it, dear Gossip Girls?! Socialism, slavery or something else reigns on this paradise island?! Robins...Robinson...Robinsons are all about the same people. Various sources. All photos are not mine. My husband and I decided to definitely go to Hawaii in the summer and try to photograph this island, at least from the outside. So, it is very possible that the end to this topic has not been set... Thank you for taking the time to read my post. Good luck to you all!!!

Basic moments

Niihau is called " Forbidden Island" Since 1864, it has been privately owned by the Robinson family, and for a long time it was possible to get here only by invitation. It is curious that these restrictions even applied to relatives of the indigenous islanders.

Since 1987 the situation has changed. Now Niihau offers expensive safari tours and helicopter trips. Helicopter excursions designed for half a day. During them, tourists are taken over the island, told about its history and dropped off on one of the beaches. Here travelers relax and swim in clear waters Pacific Ocean. Along the coast you can watch schools of colorful tropical fish and endangered monk seals.

Safari tours are conducted for those who are partial to hunting. Tourists are offered to hunt maned boars, wild sheep, antelopes - oryx and eland - that live on Niihau Island. The islanders sell beautiful necklaces and shell crafts to all guests.

Geographical features, climate and nature

Niihau Island is the seventh largest island in Hawaii. It was formed about 4.9 million years ago. The land area is 30 km long and 10 km wide. Himself high point considered to be the peak of an extinct volcano, rising 381 meters above sea level. Near Niihau, 1.1 km to the north, is the small uninhabited island of Lehua.

Niihau is home to Lake Halulu, the only freshwater body of water in the Hawaiian archipelago. Its water reserves are replenished by rain.

There are no high mountains on the island that can stop the movement of rain trade wind clouds, so droughts often occur here. When this happens, the few residents of Niihau flee their homes. They move to other islands of the archipelago and live there until the weather changes.

Hawaiian ducks and stilts live near the freshwater lake. In addition, Niihau is home to many other birds, some of which are endangered and rare species. In this regard, the United States granted the island the status of a seabird sanctuary.

Population

The nationality of the islanders is Hawaiian. They communicate in a language that is slightly different from literary Hawaiian, so the inhabitants of Niihau can be said to speak their own dialect. Some of them speak English well as a second language.

All the islanders live in a single village - Puuwai. Some residents receive benefits, others earn money from mullet fishing, cattle breeding, agriculture and serving tourists. The main means of transportation is horses. Many people use solar panels and have televisions. But their operation is difficult, because Niihau Island is located in an area of ​​poor television signal coverage.

The islanders use rainwater for drinking, washing and irrigating fields. All necessary goods are delivered here by ship from the island of Kauai. There is a permanent school on the island with a 12-year education cycle, the number of students in which ranges from 25 to 50 people.

Military incident

The life of the people living on Niihau is very far from the events taking place in the world. The only time they took part in hostilities remained in the history of World War II as the “Nihau Incident.”

Although the island was permanently inhabited by Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians, Japanese generals considered it uninhabited. When developing plans to bomb the American base at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese command decided that Niihau could be useful as an alternate airfield. The pilots were ordered to land heavily damaged aircraft on the island, and a submarine was to pick up the pilots from Niihau.

On December 7, 1941, a Japanese military plane landed here. The islanders received the plane pilot with respect, since he, not knowing the Hawaiian language, could not explain to them who he was and where he came from. When everything became clear, the Japanese pilot was killed. At the same time, a Niihau resident who took part in the shootout was wounded and later received a reward.

How to get there

Niihau Island is located 28 km southwest of Hawaiian island Kauai. Tourists fly to Kauai by plane, and from there they travel by sea to Nihau by ship.