The island was purchased in 1864 with gold from the Hawaiian king by a Scottish family. The king saw the writing on the walls then and asked that if/when Hawaiians are at risk of falling to imperialism, to let them have it as a backup. And here we are, 150 years later, and the Robinson family has more or less stayed true to their word. About 100 natives live there with limited technology, no police, and I believe no money. Since the polio epidemic in the 1950s, outsiders have not been allowed in. Its Hawaii's 7th island, often ignored because tourism is mainly limited to boat rides near it. Only the Robinsons are allowed to bring guests. Here are some bits from this website:
On Ni‘ihau, islanders speak their traditional dialect of Hawaiian, and the entire island operates in a completely self-sustainable way by growing, foraging, and hunting for their own food.
Land was not considered property to natives of Hawaii, and this allowed the islanders to live freely, without having the responsibility of renting or leasing land. Wild sheep, boar, and cattle roamed the land as well and were merely considered neighboring inhabitants of the island.
From my research, there are various ways they make money from the outside world, mainly selling seashell leis (necklaces), and some limited tourism like helicopter visits and hunting safaris (like in Africa). With that money, they have some outside technology like houses, solar panels, and bicycles.
Is this anarchism or monarchism? The Robinson family still owns the land and could cash out if they wanted any time. I have no idea what they do now. Its two older brothers, who might even live on the island amongst the natives. Anyone know more about this arrangement?
The article oversells how closed off the island population is. They regularly travel to Kauai, and there are visits from US Navy personnel too. But, it is functionally closed to haole tourists as well as most non related Hawaiian residents.
The article also oversells the roles of the Robinsons as benevolent overlords rather than focusing on the actual inhabitants. The residents regularly buy and sell things on Kauai, selling crafts, etc.
Now, as to your question on the actual arrangement between the Robinsons and the natives, that's past my scope of knowledge.
Also, worth noting that the island has no water except for rain, so it's not likely it could ever hold a huge population anyways.
If you look around there are a lot of suspended anarchies within capitalism. Capitalists know it sucks and some of them are willing to create a space where anarchy can just exist in stasis. Other times, these spaces exist as the product of struggle with the state deciding its just not worth it.
These spaces aren't revolutionary in their own right, but they can help brake capitalist subjectivity. I've existed in and out of them, and the past few years most of them have had their participants radicalize.
I dont think you can say "this is anarchy" or "this is capitalism," only that capitalism isn't completely totalizing, only mostly.
Thats pretty cool, thanks for the link! It gives me some hope that there are so many indigenous peoples surviving around the world. I really think the ultimate answer to the coming environmental crisis is returning to lifestyles along those lines. They are the only people really living sustainably with nature. Here in the US, we will have to do A LOT MORE than eliminating straws and carpooling. I want to believe that getting solar panels, biking instead of driving, growing my own food and other things could get us there. But I don't know.
But whats the difference between nearly uncontacted tribes and anarcho-primitivism? Is it just funny because they surely don't call themselves that? Or is it derogatory, since they have their own cultures they would rather be known by?
They're not primitivist. Almost all of them use modern technology, but on their own terms. You know those ethnographic films of Inuit people? Those were folks who'd been using guns and snowmobiles for a decade who were payed to do a demo for some anthropologists. I'm sure that the Hawaiins on the 7th island have selectively adopted modern tech as it suits them.
OP, you'd like My Mind Below This Beautiful Country in the latest edition of Black Seed. It's an interview with two wetsuweten land defenders who are trying to practice their pre colonization Lifeways.
If you're so inclined, the Wetsuweten want financial support and sometimes volunteers at their land reclamation.
