Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 10, 1 October 2013 — Ni'ihau: The struggle to preserve a way of life [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ni'ihau: The struggle to preserve a way of life

Time travel may not be a reality yet, but I had the opportunity to get something of a sense of life long ago on a recent visit to the island of Ni'ihau. I got there from Kaua'i by helicopter - a first for me. Onee on the island, I quickly discovered that the standard mode of transportation for the islanders was on foot or on bicycles. No cars. No paved roads - a novelty for someone like me who is

used to city life. We landed next to beautiful beaches of white sand, the shimmering bare expanse spotted here and there with monk seals. I was greeted by Bruce Robinson and was transported in an army vehicle - one of just three on the island - to the Village. The open truck afforded a good view of all aspects of the island. Wild pigs roamed free. I was thrilled to catch sight of an eland, a type of antelope, introduced to Ni'ihau from Moloka'i's Exotic Animal Sanctuary. The eland appear to be thriving in their adoptive habitat and are reproducing successfully, mueh to the delight of at least one Ni'ihau resident who confessed to preferring eland to beef for dinner! It may also surprise some to hear that cats and dogs are nowhere to be seen on the island of Ni'ihau. Talk story with the villagers A ehapel, a dining hall and two classrooms defined the Village. Instead of indoor plumbing, the community of about 150 Hawaiians managed with outhouses adjacent to their modest homes, tucked into corners and in between the trees. I was one of several visitors that day. We were there to meet and listen to the concerns of the people of Ni'ihau. Present were Sens. Clayton Hee, Miehelle Kidani,

Gil Kahele and Brickwood Galuteria and Rep. Faye Hanohano. Also there were Esther Kia'āina, deputy director of DLNR, Les Kuloloia, po'o of the 'Aha Moku Advisory Committee, Leimana DaMate, executive director of the 'Aha Moku Advisory Committee, along with OHA Trustees Dan Ahuna of Kaua'i, and myself. We met with the entire village community in the one dining hall mentioned earlier! It was clear to me that the

Hawaiians on Ni'ihau were happy about their way of life and passionate about protecting it from outside threats. And the outside threat they were most concerned about that day was the encroachments on their shoreline by fishermen from other islands. "The oeean is our refrigerator," they said. "It is where we go daily to get what we need for our meals." So, they watch with mounting alarm as their fish supply and 'opihi are depleted by the fishermen who arrive in boats from the other islands. Family after family appealed for help from the legislators. They pleaded for laws that wouldprotect the fishing areas around their island fromincursions by those who do not live there and depend on it for sustenance as they do. It was humbling to be in the presence of the people of Ni'ihau. Their rich voices and their heartfelt, deeply spiritual singing took us all back to the Hawai'i of a hundred years ago and a way of life that has all but faded away. We owe it to them to hear their cry for help. We have to find a way to help. Mahalo, Keith, Bruce, Leiana and the 'Ohana of Ni'ihau for allowing us into your hale; for the delicious mea 'ai; the beautiful mele and the warm aloha shared with all of us. ■

Carmen 'Hulu" Lindsey TrustEE, Maui