Necker Island (
HawaiianThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
:
Mokumanamana) is a small island in the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
, north of the
Tropic of CancerThe Tropic of Cancer, or the Northern tropic, is one of five major degree measures or major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the northmost latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon...
, located at . It is part of the
Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsThe Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, located northwest of
NihoaNihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands located northwest of the island of Niihau and northwest of Honolulu...
and northwest of
HonoluluHonolulu is the capital of and the most populous census-designated place in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Although Honolulu refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the city and...
, and is part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge within the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National MonumentThe Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a U.S. National Monument encompassing of ocean waters and ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, making it one of the largest Marine Protected Area in the world. The area was originally proclaimed the Northwestern Hawaiian...
.
The
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
reports its land area as 182,890 square meters, or . The island is rocky with steep sides and has very little soil. Its highest elevation is .
Few signs of long-term human habitation have been found.
Necker Island (
HawaiianThe Hawaiian language is a Polynesian language that takes its name from Hawaii, the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed. Hawaiian, along with English, is an official language of the state of Hawaii...
:
Mokumanamana) is a small island in the
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...
, north of the
Tropic of CancerThe Tropic of Cancer, or the Northern tropic, is one of five major degree measures or major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the northmost latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon...
, located at . It is part of the
Northwestern Hawaiian IslandsThe Northwestern Hawaiian Islands or the Leeward Islands are the small islands and atolls in the Hawaiian island chain located northwest of the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They are administered by the U.S. state of Hawaii except Midway Atoll, which has temporary residential facilities and is...
, located northwest of
NihoaNihoa , also known as Bird Island or Moku Manu, is a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands located northwest of the island of Niihau and northwest of Honolulu...
and northwest of
HonoluluHonolulu is the capital of and the most populous census-designated place in the U.S. state of Hawaii. Although Honolulu refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and the county are consolidated, known as the City and County of Honolulu, and the city and...
, and is part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge within the
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands National MonumentThe Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument is a U.S. National Monument encompassing of ocean waters and ten islands and atolls of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, making it one of the largest Marine Protected Area in the world. The area was originally proclaimed the Northwestern Hawaiian...
.
The
United States Census BureauThe United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data. As part of the United States Department of Commerce, the Census Bureau serves as the leading source of quality data about...
reports its land area as 182,890 square meters, or . The island is rocky with steep sides and has very little soil. Its highest elevation is .
Few signs of long-term human habitation have been found. However, the island contains 33 stone
shrineA shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated...
s and stone artifacts much like those found in the main
Hawaiian IslandsThe Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of 19 islands and atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll. Excluding Midway, which is an unincorporated territory of the...
. Because of this, many
anthropologistsAnthropology is the study of human beings, everywhere and throughout time....
believe that the island was a ceremonial and religious site. According to the myths and legends of the people of Kauai, which lies to the southeast, Necker Island was the last known refuge for a race of mythical "little people" called the
MenehuneIn Hawaiian mythology, the Menehune [pronounced meh-neh-HOO-neh] are said to be a people, sometimes described as dwarfs in size, who live in the deep forests and hidden valleys of the Hawaiian islands, far from the eyes of normal humans. Their favorite food is the mai'a , but they also like...
. According to the legend, the Menehune settled on Necker after being chased off Kaua'i by the stronger
PolynesiansThe Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that traditionally spoke Polynesian languages and inhabited Polynesia.-Polynesian peoples:The Polynesian peoples include:*Aniwa*Anuta*Austral*Fijian*Futunan*Hawaiian*Kapingamarangi...
and subsequently built the various stone structures there. Visits to the island are said to have started a few hundred years after the main Hawaiian Islands were inhabited, and ended a few hundred years before European contact. French explorer
Jean-François de La PérouseJean François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
was the first European to visit the island, in 1786. The island is named after
Jacques NeckerJacques Necker was a French statesman of Swiss birth and finance minister of Louis XVI, a post he held in the lead-up to the French Revolution in 1789.-Early life:Necker was born in Geneva, Switzerland...
.
Because of the island's usage by Native Hawaiians as a ceremonial and religious site in
Ancient HawaiiAncient Hawaii refers to the period of Hawaiian human history preceding the unification of the Kingdom of Hawaii by Kamehameha the Great in 1810. After being first settled by Polynesian long-distance navigators sometime between AD.300-800, a unique culture developed. Diversified agroforestry and...
, the island was added to the
National Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.
Further reading
External links