Heritage of Island Artisans

Ni‘ihau was also known for crafting the finest makaloa mats in Hawai‘i made from a perennial sedge that grew abundantly on the island. Geometric pāwehe motifs were used to decorate the mats and were also used on gourds whose designs were prepared in a special way never used on any of the other islands.

Unfortunately, neither of these practices has been passed down to the current generation of Ni‘ihau residents, but another aspect of the culture, the Ni‘ihau shell lei, has not only been preserved, it has also been enhanced and has developed into a fine folk art unequalled anywhere in the world.

Much has been written about the fact that an entire island and its population has been under the control of a single family fornearly 150 years, but due to the policy of the owners—current ownership of the island is in the names of brothers Bruce and Keith Robinson, descendants of the original Sinclair family who purchased the island in 1864—access to the island has been limited, and this has resulted in the preservation of the Ni‘ihau language as well as a traditional lifestyle unlike anywhere else in Hawai‘i.