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[Odoul]

I hate when people do this.

My friend went on a vacation to Hawaii a month ago. One of the things he told me is there's an island that visitors can't enter. You can only see it if you're born there. And those who leave are never allowed to return.

Anyone ever heard of this or was he bullshitting me?

I just wonder what a culture that's completely cut off contace with others like that would evolve into.

 

[Deku Tree]

It's true.

 

[Red Blaster]

I'd like more info please.

 

[hXc_thugg]

I bet there is dinosaurs on that island.

 

[Odoul]

I bet there is dinosaurs on that island.

Or gravity defying titties or something.

 

[belgurdo]

That's the island they keep the Fayth on.

 

[jiggle]

The island of Niihau is privately owned. People can visit via Helicoptor tours. There are no roads, hotels or resturants there for visitors to use.

And since the island only has school up to the 8th grade, people are allowed off the island seeking higher education (everything completely paid for, of course). I assume they are let back in if they really wanted to.

 

[Odoul]

The island of Niihau is privately owned. People can visit via Helicoptor tours. There are no roads, hotels or resturants there for visitors to use.

And since the island only has school up to the 8th grade, people are allowed off the island seeking higher education. I assume they are let back in if they really wanted to.

Thanks.

My friend was making it seem like some super-mysterious secret. The asshole.

 

[itschris]

Thanks.

My friend was making it seem like some super-mysterious secret. The asshole.

Some more information:

Ni‘ihau, at 70 sq. miles (182 sq. km), is the smallest of the inhabited Hawaiian Islands in the U.S. State of Hawai‘i. Ni‘ihau is also known as the "Forbidden Island". This is due to the fact that until recently, the island was off-limits to all but family members, U.S. Navy personnel, government officials and expressly invited guests. Now, tourists can see the island through a limited number of supervised tours, including diving, hiking, and hunting safaris.

The entire island is owned by the Robinson family who purchased it from the Kingdom of Hawai‘i for $10,000 in gold in 1872. It was said that the purchaser, Elizabeth Sinclair (later Sinclair-Robinson), bought the island in preference to other real estate parcels such as Waikīkī, Pearl Harbor, or the island of Lāna‘i. In 1915, grandson Aubrey Robinson closed the island to most outside visitors; even relatives of the inhabitants could visit only by special permission.

Despite the self-imposed isolation, Ni‘ihau has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. military dating from before World War II. There is a small U.S. Navy installation on the Island, but no military personnel are permanently stationed there. More recently, however, the U.S. military has used the island for training special operations units, hiring the Niihauans as "enemy" trackers.

Many of the residents of Ni‘ihau were employees of the Ni‘ihau Ranch until the Robinson family finally had to shut the operation down in 1999; it had not been profitable for most of the 20th century. Many of the residents ended up on federal welfare, although these benefits will end soon because of the five-year limit on such benefits. The Robinson family has been considering alternative economic options to keep their residents employed, such as an increased economic role for the U.S. military (an earlier 1999 proposal to establish a missile testing program on the island fell by the wayside), or increased tourism. Either of these would erode the relative isolation that the residents currently enjoy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niihau

Wikipedia to the rescue!

 

[lilraylewis]

Many of the residents of Ni‘ihau were employees of the Ni‘ihau Ranch until the Robinson family finally had to shut the operation down in 1999; it had not been profitable for most of the 20th century. Many of the residents ended up on federal welfare, although these benefits will end soon because of the five-year limit on such benefits. The Robinson family has been considering alternative economic options to keep their residents employed, such as an increased economic role for the U.S. military (an earlier 1999 proposal to establish a missile testing program on the island fell by the wayside), or increased tourism. Either of these would erode the relative isolation that the residents currently enjoy.

Kinda sad