is also used for the famous kahelelani shells which are used in making Ni‘ihau shell lei.



Another beloved ali‘i in the history of Ni‘ihau was Kā‘eo who was responsible for uniting the island after defeating the warlike Kawaihoa. Kawaihoa was banished to the southern point of the island. His name was given to the hill on the southern end of the island which is usually visible from West Kaua‘i and sometimes mistaken for a separate island.

Independent Nature of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau Hawaiians

Kā‘eo married a high chiefess named Kamakahelei, and their son Kaumuali‘i was born in 1790. Kaumuali‘i later became king of both Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, and the story of how the islands of Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau were the last islands to be united under Kamehameha is another bit ofhistory that exemplifies the independence of these two islands. "Ni‘ihau i ke kīkū" is a traditional saying that also describes the independent nature of the people of Ni‘ihau.

However, 1863 marked the advent of a series of events which was to have lasting influence on the history of Ni‘ihau and her people until this very day.





That year members of the Sinclair-Robinson-Gay clan arrived in Honolulu from New Zealand and began looking for land to purchase for ranching. When offered the island of Ni‘ihau by King Kamehameha IV, members of the Sinclair family traveled to visit the island and decided to buy it.

A final purchase price of $10,000 was agreed upon, but Kamehameha IV died on November 30, so Royal Patent No. 2944 shows his brother, Kamehameha V, completed the