Kalaupapa National Historical Park ⓘ

Few places in the world better illustrate the human capacity for endurance or for charity than the remote Kalaupapa Peninsula on the island of Molokai. The area achieved notoriety when the Kingdom of Hawai'i instituted a century-long policy of forced segregation of persons afflicted with Hansen's disease , more commonly known as leprosy.

This mysterious and dreaded disease reached epidemic proportions in the islands in the late 1800s. At the time, there was no effective treatment and no cure. With new cases threatening to eradicate the native population and no knowledge of what caused the disease, officials became desperate. To government officials, isolation seemed the only answer. In 1865, the Legislative Assembly passed, and King Kamehameha V approved, "An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy" , which set apart land to isolate people believed capable of spreading the disease.

This place was chosen to isolate people with, what was at that time, an incurable illness. The peninsula was remote and fairly inaccessible. To the south, the area was cut off from the rest of Molokai by a sheer pali , or cliff, reaching nearly 2000 feet. The ocean surrounded the rest of the area to the east, north and west. Boat landings were only practical in good weather only. Hawaiians had inhabited this peninsula for over 900 years, so the land could support people. Vegetables such as sweet potatoes, taro, and fruits could be grown in the valleys and on the flatlands. The ocean and tidal pools provided seafood. Fresh water was available from Waikolu and Waihanau valleys.

Once the decision was made, and the law passed, the government proceeded to purchase lands and move the Hawaiian residents to other homes, severing their long connection to the land. The village Kalawao on the isolated Kalaupapa Peninsula thus became the home for thousands of leprosy victims subsequently moved here from throughout the Hawaiian Islands. On January 6, 1866, the first group of nine men and three women were dropped off at the mouth of Waikolu Valley, the closest accessible point to Kalawao on the southeast side of the peninsula. By October of the same year, 101 men and 41 women had been left to die at Kalawao.

The government's expectation was that these patients would move into the houses left behind by the Hawaiians who had lived in the area previously and the ill would tend crops and sustain themselves. But this belief soon proved to be wrong. It soon became apparent that most patients were too ill or demoralized to be self-sufficient. With no hope or will to live, some patients fell into vice and immorality.

Reports of the insufficient housing and lack of supplies were soon filed by the patients and their families, by the resident superintendent, and by the Board of Health agent Rudolph W. Meyer, who lived on top of pali overlooking the settlement. As stories of the deplorable conditions spread, many Hawaiian people hid their afflicted relatives and friends, hoping to prevent their discovery and banishment to a certain death. Others chose to go into isolation with their loved ones as a kokua, a helper.

In spite of the Board of Health's efforts to improve conditions, including building a hospital and homes, supplies of food and clothing, housing, and medical care could not keep up with the numbers of people being sent to Kalawao. Starting in 1873 major improvements were made due to the arrival of Father Damien and the interest and support of the next two Hawaiian Kings, William Charles Lunalilo and David Kalakaua.

During the years 1888 to 1902 the isolation laws in Hawai'i were strictly enforced and the population at Kalawao swelled to over 1,100 people. During this period the Bishop Home for Girls opened in Kalaupapa and was managed by Mother Marianne Cope and the Sisters of St. Francis. In Kalawao, the Baldwin Home for Boys was being run by Brother Joseph Dutton and Brothers of the Sacred Heart. During this time people began gradually moving to the peninsula's west side Hawaiian fishing village of Kalaupapa. In 1893-1894 the Board of Health took steps to deal with the last remaining non-patient Hawaiians living in Kalaupapa and on the peninsula. The isolation settlement was expanded to include not just Kalawao, but the entire peninsula and all trails and lands to the top of the pali. The last remaining private property was purchased and all non-patients removed. The centuries-long habitation of the Kalaupapa Peninsula by non–patient Hawaiian people came to an end.

The Board of Health began relocating patients to the Kalaupapa side of the peninsula, because the climate was warmer and dryer, and freight and passengers could be landed more easily. Water lines were extended from Waikolu Valley to bring Kalaupapa a fresh supply of water.

As the ramifications of the disease unfolded, husbands were separated from their wives and children, diseased children were removed from their mothers and fathers, and babies born to patients were immediately taken by health officials to be placed in the care of relatives or taken to orphanages. Although Hawai'i did more for its people with Hansen's disease than any country in history up to that time, it was still a frightening experience for the patients and difficult for the health care workers and clergy who ministered to the sick.

Starting in 1900 the Board of Health implemented a plan to provide high quality services, facilities, utilities, and medical care for patients at Kalaupapa. A major construction program began, with individual cottages, dormitories, hospital facilities and other buildings being built. In 1902 Dr. William J. Goodhue became resident physician and John D. McVeigh became the settlement's superintendent. These two men worked to improve the quality of life within isolation by promoting sports and other activities, improving medical procedures, and by treating patients with respect and human decency.

The Board of Health records over the years reveal how the disease knew no racial or ethnic boundaries. In the Board of Health's annual report for 1903, the records show the total patient population at Kalaupapa to be 888 people – 541 males and 347 females. Of that number, 459 males and 338 females were Hawaiian. Among the other major racial groups represented were 40 Chinese men and 3 Chinese women; 12 Portuguese men and 2 Portuguese women; and seven "American" men and one "American" woman.

In the 1900s the Federal Governement of the United States of America built two facilities on the peninsula. The Molokai Light was built on the northern tip of the peninsula to help guide westbound vessels into Honolulu Harbor on O'ahu. Opened in 1910, a succession of lighthouse keepers and their families lived at the station, segregated from the patient population. Over in Kalawao, a hospital complex was built to conduct Hansen's disease research. The Public Health and Marine Hospital Service operated the US Leprosy Investigation Station from 1909 – 1913. In spite of superior facilities and generous funding, isolation and an inability to attract patients willing to undergo medical experiments led to its early closing.

By 1919 treatments of chaulmoogra oil, derived from seeds of trees found in India and Southeast Asia, offered hope as a cure for Hansen's disease. People dared to think Kalaupapa settlement could be closed. After 10 years however, belief in the curative powers of the oil waned. Despite the years of medical research a cure still seemed as remote as ever.

By 1924, the patient population had been reduced by almost half. Among the 485 patients remaining, the largest racial groups represented were 169 Hawaiian men and 101 Hawaiian women; 53 part-Hawaiian men and 43 part-Hawaiian women; 28 Japanese men and 4 Japanese women; and 24 Filipino men and one Filipino woman.

By the 1930s Kalaupapa's physical infrastructure was in need of an overhaul. Territory of Hawai'i Governor Lawrence M. Judd reorganized the leprosy control program in the early 1930s and undertook ambitious construction and rehabilitation projects. State-of-the-art water and power systems were installed; roads were paved; and facilities such as a hospital, store, service station, and houses were built.

After World War II, dramatic changes in both the treatment of Hansen's disease and in social attitudes towards patients occurred with the discovery of sulfone drugs. Essentially a cure for the disease, the drugs were introduced into Hawaii in 1946. The new medications brought almost immediate reductions of symptoms and vast improvements in the quality of health and life.

In 1947, Former Governor Lawrence M. Judd became Kalaupapa's resident superintendent and he and his wife Eva Marie promoted social activities and adult education classes. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Lion's Club, American Legion, and other organizations opened Kalaupapa to the wider world. Many of the physical barriers separating patients from workers were removed.

With the new drug therapies, Hansen's disease patients were no longer contagious. There was no further need for isolation. In 1969 the century-old laws of forced quarantine were abolished. Former patients living in Kalaupapa today have chosen to remain here, most for the rest of their lives.

Kalaupapa has been home for 100 years for people once banished from society, but it is in transition due to its ever decreasing patient population. The settlement is much quieter than it once was. There are fewer buildings. Life today is lived at a somewhat slower pace. But Kalaupapa remains a remarkable place with an extraordinary history – a place exhibiting the worst and the best of human responses to the challenge of sickness.

No person is as central to the history of Kalawao and Kalaupapa as Joseph De Veuster, or, as he is best known to the world, Father Damien. He arrived during the early days of Kalawao’s history, when people with Hansen’s disease were being rounded up throughout the Hawaiian Islands and shipped to the isolated settlement on Moloka`i.

Joseph De Veuster was born in Tremeloo, Belgium, in 1840. Like his older brother Pamphile, Joseph became a priest in the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts. Pamphile was to serve as a missionary in the far distant "Sandwich Islands," but when it came time for him to depart he was too ill to go. His brother Joseph went in his place.

He arrived in Honolulu on March 19, 1864. There he was ordained in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace on May 21 and took the name of Damien. His first calling was on the big island of Hawai`i, where he spent eight years. He often traveled great distances to minister to the people of his districts of Puna, followed by Kohala and Hamakua. In 1873 he learned of the need for priests to serve the 700 Hansen’s disease victims confined on the island of Moloka`i. He and three other priests volunteered to go in succession. Damien was the first, and soon he was on a boat carrying cattle and 50 patients bound for Kalawao.

Damien was the most famous but not the first caregiver or religious worker to arrive at Kalawao. He followed Congregational ministers, Catholic priests, Mormon elders, and family and friends of patients who went voluntarily to Kalawao to help. Slowly, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope. He spoke the Hawaiian language. Assisted by patients, he built houses, constructed a water system, and planted trees. He also organized schools, bands, and choirs. He provided medical care for the living and buried the dead. He expanded St. Philomena Catholic Church . Not a "retiring" personality, Damien did not hesitate to badger the Hawaiian government and his church for more resources. These efforts attracted worldwide attention, resulting in a heightened awareness of the disease and the plight of its victims.

During Father Damien’s years at Kalawao, others came to help. A number of priests spent varying lengths of time. In 1886 Joseph Dutton arrived, followed in 1888 by Mother Marianne Cope and two of her sisters from the Order of St. Francis. They, along with four Brothers of the Sacred Heart who arrived in 1895, carried Damien’s work into the next century.

Father Damien had lived in Kalawao 12 years when it was confirmed that he had contracted Hansen’s disease. Although the disease is not highly contagious, Damien had not been careful about hygiene. Over the years he had done nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl shared with other patients. He shared his pipe. And he did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores.

Damien was 49 years old when he died April 15, 1889, at Kalawao with Mother Marianne at his bedside. Shortly before his death, he wrote his brother Pamphile, "I am gently going to my grave. It is the will of God, and I thank Him very much for letting me die of the same disease and in the same way as my lepers. I am very satisfied and very happy." He was buried in the cemetery next to his church, St. Philomena. The people of Kalawao had lost their strongest voice.

Damien’s death was widely noted throughout Hawai`i and in Europe. As the years passed, his life of devotion served to inspire thousands. Because Kalaupapa remained an isolation settlement and the world could not come to his church and grave, Damien’s remains were exhumed in 1936 and reburied at Louvain, Belgium. In 1995 a relic composed of the remains of his right hand was returned to his original grave at Kalawao, to the great joy of Kalaupapa and the rest of Hawai`i. In 2009, Damien was canonized a Saint in the Catholic Church. His life of service to the sick and outcast continues to serve as an inspiration for people worldwide.

Kalaupapa National Historical Park Superintendent Stephen Prokop is traveling to The Vatican to represent the National Park Service along with a delegation of former Hansen's disease patients to attend the canonization of Father Damien as a saint by Pope Benedict on October 11th.

Father Damien is famous throughout the world for his dedication and devotion to caring for the spiritual and physical needs of victims of leprosy (now referred to as Hansen's disease) in Hawai`i that were separated from their families from 1866 to 1969 on the remote Kalaupapa peninsula on the island of Moloka`i. Kalaupapa National Historical Park was created in 1980 in part to honor and remember the legacy of Father Damien and those he served in the midst of suffering, and often times, the triumph of the human spirit over great adversity. Kalaupapa National Historical Park will soon become the only known NPS site associated with a saint.

The story of Father Damien is a major interpretive theme at Kalaupapa NHP that provides education and inspiration to present and future generations of visitors. The upcoming canonization of Damien is an important historical and cultural event in the lives of the remaining former patient residents that have long sought to honor and cherish his legacy. The park's enabling legislation directs park management to preserve and maintain local cultural values in addition to providing for a well-maintained community for the residents of Kalaupapa.

Several resident park employees who have developed strong bonds with Kalaupapa's respected kupuna (elders) are also making the journey to the Vatican. Superintendent Prokop, State Department of Health and NPS employees, and Hawai`i's Catholic Bishop Larry Silva will join the delegation of Kalaupapa residents for special events and other activities before and after the canonization at the Vatican, including a visit to Damien's home town of Tremelo, Belgium and Louvain, Belgium where Damien attended seminary school.

Shortly after the group's return to Kalaupapa, park staff will organize a local celebration on November 7th during which 300 invited guests will join the community in honor of Damien's Sainthood. The celebration will include a special mass at St. Philomena Church in Kalawao as well as a festive luau with hula performances and live Hawaiian music.

For centuries Hansen's disease, or leprosy, was a frightening illness, both for its victims and those who treated them. Although it was known to be contagious, no one knew exactly how it was contracted. For that reason, many physicians and other health care providers refused to treat or even touch those patients diagnosed with the disease. In the late 1800's Mother Marianne Cope and other Sisters of St. Francis journeyed from the United States to the far-away Kingdom of Hawai`i to care for these outcasts of society when others would or could not. Their story is not as well known as Father Damien's, but it is just as full of love and sacrifice.

It was in June 1883, in Syracuse, New York, that Mother Marianne Cope received an intriguing letter from a Catholic priest asking for help in managing hospitals and schools in the Hawaiian Islands. At that time, she was 45 years old and had been a Sister in the Order of St. Francis for 21 years. There were reasons Mother Marianne might have ignored the letter. Growing up in Utica, New York, Mother Marianne had not had an easy life. She was born Barbara Koob to a family of modest means in the village of Heppenheim in the German grand duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. The family immigrated to Utica, New York, in 1840 when Barbara was a child of two. As a young adult she was a factory worker in Utica. At her acceptance into the community of Franciscan Sisters she took the name of Marianne. By 1883 she had reason to be proud as she had achieved the position as supervisor of St. Joseph's Hospital in Syracuse. The letter that arrived from Hawai`i offered her a different path. Mother Marianne decided to accept the less prestigious position with the Hawaiian mission. She responded to the letter enthusiastically: "I am hungry for the work and I wish with all my heart to be one of the chosen Ones, whose privilege it will be, to sacrifice themselves for the salvation of the souls of the poor Islanders…. I am not afraid of any disease, hence it would be my greatest delight even to minister to the abandoned 'lepers.'"

She and six other Sisters of St. Francis arrived in Honolulu in November 1883. With Mother Marianne as supervisor, their task was to manage Kaka`ako Branch Hospital on O`ahu, which served as a receiving station for Hansen's disease patients gathered from all over the islands. Here the more severe cases were processed and shipped to the island of Moloka`i for confinement at the settlement at Kalawao, and then later at Kalaupapa. The sisters set quickly to work. They began the process of cleaning the hospital and tending to the 200 patients. By 1885, the sisters had made major improvements to the living conditions and treatment of patients at Kaka`ako. In November of that year, they also initiated the founding of Kapi`olani Home inside the hospital compound. The home was established to care for the non-patient daughters of Hansen's disease patients at Kaka`ako and Kalawao.

Mother Marianne expanded the efforts of the Sisters of St. Francis to include managing a hospital and school at Wailuku on Maui. She also responded to a call for assistance on Moloka`i. In April 1888, wealthy Honolulu banker Charles Bishop had presented the Hawaiian government with a donation of $5,000 to establish a home for girls in Kalaupapa. The government approached Mother Marianne with supervising the new home. The resident priest, Father Damien , who by 1888 had already been diagnosed with Hansen's disease and knew his death was imminent, was eager for the sisters to come. Mother Marianne consulted with all the sisters and, to her credit, they felt free to voice their concerns. Responded one: "I am very honest with you. I am afraid. I have heard too much about these poor people. I heard also that there are no rules and regulations. That everyone does as he pleases." Another stated: "If it is not a suitable place for any woman how can it be for the Sisters." But Mother Marianne, along with Sister Leopoldina Burns and Sister Vincentia McCormick, accepted the challenge and in November 1888 they arrived at Kalaupapa. They ran the Bishop Home, and until 1895 they managed the Home for Boys at Kalawao, founded by Father Damien for boys and young men. The workload was extremely heavy in that Bishop Home alone provided shelter for 103 girls in 1893. There were times when the burden seemed overwhelming. In a moment of despair, Sister Leopoldina reflected, "How long Oh Lord must I see only those that are sick and covered with leprosy?"

Mother Marianne's example-her never-failing optimism, her serenity, her caring nature, and her considerable abilities-gave strength to the other sisters. Together, through devotion and self-sacrifice, the Sisters of St. Francis rendered a remarkable service to humanity in the islands of Hawai`i. Mother Marianne never returned to Syracuse. She spent the remainder of her life at Kalaupapa. She died in 1918 at the age of 80 and was buried on the grounds of Bishop Home. Her remains were returned to Syracuse in 2005.

Enjoy the scenery. People can take a break from the day’s routine to look at some of the most spectacular natural scenery in the world. From anywhere in the community you can look up at the dramatic 2,000-foot pali that separates the Kalaupapa Peninsula from “topside,” the local term for the rest of Molokaʻi. Or people can walk a few steps to the ocean and enjoy the clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean crashing against the black lava or white sandy beaches.

Enjoy a slower pace of life. There are many opportunities for solitude in Kalaupapa, often described as looking and feeling like the “old” Hawaiʻi of 50 years ago. Feel the mana of the ʻ aina. Kalaupapa is a very spiritual place.

Celebrate Christmas in July. Once a year, usually July, people gather at the dock to watch the year's bulk supplies be unloaded from the barge. Canned goods for the grocery store, furniture, automobiles, washers, dryers, refrigerators, beer for the bar, a year’s supply of gasoline, construction supplies; all arrive on the barge.

Go to church . There are three churches in town, including St. Francis Catholic Church, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Kanaʻana Hou United Church of Christ. Over in Kalawao there are two historic churches, St. Philomena and Siloama.

“Talk Story.” In a community so small, people run into people anyplace, anytime, and take time to visit.

“Catch air.” Pickup trucks are popular in Kalaupapa. So are dogs. At any time of the day people in pickups with dogs in the back can be seen “catching air” during drives out to the airport and back.

Go fishing . Many of the locals are expert fishermen. Generally they use a pole and fish directly in the surf. And some people watch (at a distance, with respect) as the fishermen stand in the water up to their knees or hips casting their nets. It’s an art.

Travel throughout the state. People fly to Honolulu or outer islands for a weekend away and a dose of civilization. Major shopping usually occurs on these trips. Travel to the mainland is popular too. Las Vegas is a favorite destination.

Eat. Community-wide dinners are a popular activity, with traditional Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino foods being typical fare.

Hear a music concert. People attend live concerts to hear musicians as Makaha Sons, John Keawe, and Ray Kane. Church groups from around the islands also fly in to sing for and with local residents. And the musicians consider it an honor to perform for the people of Kalaupapa.

Although Kalaupapa is primarily known for its historic Hansen’s Disease settlement, the archeology of the peninsula and nearby valleys tells a rich history of an earlier occupation by kama`aina, or Native Hawaiians . Early historical accounts describe the massive quantity of archeological sites spanning the entire width of the peninsula. All of the sites are, for the most part, intact and are very well preserved due to the lack of modern day development as seen on many of the neighboring islands.

There are few ancient landscapes left in the Hawaiian archipelago that are as untouched as the Kalaupapa Peninsula, and yet, are still accessible for large scale investigations focused on ancient and proto-historic Hawaiian cultural processes. The wealth of information to be gained by studying the Kalaupapa peninsula in this context is unsurpassable in archeological research. For these reasons, Kalaupapa National Historical Park has one of the best archeological preserves in Hawai`i.

The archaeology at Kalaupapa is significant not only because of the large number of sites found across the peninsula, but also because of their diversity. There is no question that the area was once the seat of a dense population. Residential, ceremonial, agricultural and aquacultural, and special-function sites as well as temporary field shelters are all examples of site types that have been found on this peninsula of five square miles. Permanent habitation structures have been documented within Kauhakō Crater and along the eastern flank of the peninsula while temporary habitation sites have been recorded primarily in coastal areas. Lava tubes also served as temporary shelters or hiding places in times of war.

Dotting the cultural landscape are numerous heiau or pre-Christian places of worship which include major temples as well as smaller, every day places of worship such as fishing and agricultural shrines. Examples of special-function sites on the peninsula include two petroglyph sites and one holua slide. Extending down the southern slope of Kauhako Crater, Kalaupapa’s holua sledding course was a place where traditional Hawaiian games of speed and skill were held.

Best illustrated by aerial photography, agricultural sites are, by far, the most frequently encountered sites on the peninsula. Mazes of low rock walls extend for miles and miles across the windswept and more arid sections of the peninsula. Many of these walls are thought to have been used as property boundaries or as shelter for the cultivation of crops, such as sweet potato, which was a principal staple of the early Hawaiian traditional diet. Soil retaining terraces were often used as growing platforms. Agricultural and aquacultural sites were also used for the cultivation of both dry or wet-land taro, or kalo . Kalo was another primary staple of the early Hawaiian traditional diet. Terraces and terrace walls used for the cultivation of wet-land taro were constructed near water sources within the lush, more sheltered valleys along the back side of the peninsula.

Larger, more substantial walls were often used in the construction of heiau , larger house sites, and traditional Hawaiian land boundaries or ahupua`a . One ahupua`a wall can still be seen stretching two miles from the base of the na pali to the tip of the peninsula where it joins a ko`a or fishing shrine. Such labor intensive work evident in this wall, large heiau , or the holua slide is not only a testament to the human-power once available on the peninsula, but also to the overall population that supported these workers during such large scale projects.

The material remains of these early inhabitants at Kalaupapa have left us with an incredible wealth of information. Archeological theories have addressed and will continue to address important questions such as: When and how many Polynesian voyagers first colonized the peninsula? How and why did the population size change over time? Further research with radiocarbon dating techniques will aid in better understanding the chronological events on the peninsula and the rest of Moloka`i. Settlement patterns, religious worship, social stratification and behavior, recreation, labor and leisure, and diet are all examples of research issues to be addressed with the study of the such diverse site types at Kalaupapa.

Archeological research has often put a heavy focus on the glamour of treasures or the lives of the elite in past and present cultures around the world. Such a focus, however, only provides a mere fraction of information regarding cultural processes. Over time the focus in research has shifted toward a better understanding of the everyday life and interactions of people at all status levels within a culture. The high concentration and diversity of sites at Kalaupapa is an excellent base for understanding all aspects of Hawaiian traditional life.

Since the early days of civilization, leprosy has been regarded as a contagious, mutilating, and incurable scourge. Humankind’s reaction to this particular disease has left a terrible black mark on world history and our collective memory – one of disfigurement, rejection, and expulsion from society.

Leprosy has been one of humankind’s most feared diseases, yet it is one of the least communicable diseases. Only about 5% of the world’s population is even susceptible. For millennia, people did not understand the disease and its transmission. Its appearance, seemingly out of nowhere, made many think the disease was a punishment from God for being physically and spiritually unclean. Such beliefs have caused leprosy sufferers to be shunned by the rest of society and forced to live in isolation.

Today, we know the disease is caused by a bacteria. It can be transmitted through direct person-to-person contact over a prolonged period. The disease attacks the nerves, causing severe skin and eye damage. The incubation period is much longer than for other sicknesses. Months, or even years, can pass before symptoms begin to appear.

Untreated patients suffer from sores on the skin, the reabsorption of bone and cartilage by the body, and a loss of feeling and paralysis in the limbs. Over time, these effects can lead to the body’s permanent disfigurement. Eventually, the weakened body’s immune system is unable to fight off other sicknesses, resulting in death.

When or how leprosy came to Hawai`i is unknown, but it appears in records as early as the 1830s. Hawaiians, having no immunities to introduced diseases, were particularly vulnerable to infection. By the mid-1800s, Hawaiians suffered death and disfigurement at alarming rates. Fearing further spread of the disease, the Kingdom of Hawai`i set aside land to confine leprosy patients.

Beginning in 1865, police and district justices were required to arrest persons suspected of having the sickness. Kalihi Hospital and Detention Station in Honolulu evaluated “suspects.” Those with advanced cases were sent to Kalawao, located next to Kalaupapa. Kalawao was the original settlement on the isolated peninsula protruding from Molokai Island’s north shore.

Families were torn apart by the policy. People fled, and others hid family members from authorities out of fear they would be taken away and never seen again. Some families disowned sick relatives because of the biblical shame associated with the disease. Many sick people denied their own family members to protect them from being suspected as potential carriers.

On the other side of the world, in 1873 Norway, Dr. Gerhard Armauer Hansen made a breakthrough discovery. He identified the cause of leprosy in his laboratory—a simple bacteria which attacks the nerves. This discovery was the first step in finding an effective treatment. Leprosy is now called Hansen’s disease to honor its discoverer and to battle the centuries-old stigma of the word leprosy.

During the years following Hansen’s discovery, many treatments for the disease were explored in Hawai`i. Experimental treatments were commonplace throughout the Hawaiian Islands and the rest of the world.

Father Damien explored the therapeutic benefits of Japanese Goto baths. The bathing regime involved daily immersions in a hot bath with herbs, coupled with the taking of herbal medicines. Though the baths did bring relief, they were not a cure.

In an effort to find a cure for the disease, the United States government established a research and treatment facility. In July 1909, the U.S. Leprosy Investigation Station opened its doors. The state-of-the-art facility was established to treat patients and conduct research to find a cure. No expense was spared on the 68,000 ft² campus, which included flushable toilets, electricity, and refrigeration units. However, the experimental treatments would confine participants to the hospital grounds. In the end, only nine patients volunteered to participate. Such a small number of participants did not bode well for research and experimentation. Similar research was also being done at the same time at Kalihi Hospital in Honolulu, and eventually, all research was moved there. The U.S. Leprosy Investigation Station was abandoned in 1913.

In the early 1900s, chaulmoogra oil was the primary treatment for the disease. The oil is extracted from chaulmoogra tree seeds and was used throughout Southeast Asia in Hansen’s disease treatments. The oil was administered externally and by injection. Many of the disease’s effects appeared to disappear, and it was thought to be the source of a possible cure. But, by the 1920s, not enough cases responded to the treatment, and hope for a cure faded.

It was not until the mid-20th century that a cure for Hansen’s disease was finally found and brought to the Hawaiian Islands.

In 1941, Dr. Guy Faget used a newly developed sulfone drug, Promin, to treat patients at the U.S. Public Health Service National Leprosarium in Carville, Louisiana. After months of treatment with the new drug, the disease’s physical effects and transmission capacity were completely arrested. A cure had finally been found.

Almost thirty years would pass before Hawai`i’s isolation policy was finally abolished in 1969. More than 8,000 people died at Kalaupapa during the 103-year period of isolation. For many people of Hawaiian descent, a visit to Kalaupapa is a chance to research and reconnect with family that may have been “lost” for generations.

Today people living with Hansen’s Disease continue to receive treatment from the State of Hawai`i Department of Health in Kalaupapa and Honolulu. Patients still living at Kalaupapa now choose to do so. During their lives, they have seen major advances in medical knowledge, drug treatments, and social attitudes.

The World Health Organization now estimates 1.15 million registered cases of Hansen’s Disease in over 55 countries. Around the world today, an ongoing effort to end discrimination against people living with Hansen’s Disease is underway through public education, community acceptance, and patient demands for their human rights.

In 1865, the Legislative Assembly passed, and King Kamehameha V approved, "An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy", which set apart land to isolate people believed capable of spreading the disease. The act read as follows: WHEREAS, the disease of Leprosy has spread to considerable extent among the people, and the spread thereof has excited well grounded alarms; and Whereas, further, some doubts have been expressed regarding the powers of the Board of Health in the premises, notwithstanding the 302nd Section of the Civil Code; and Whereas, in the opinion of the Assembly, the 302nd Section is properly applicable to the treatment of persons afflicted with leprosy. Yet for greater certainty, and for the sure protection of the people,

BE IT ENACTED, by the King and the Legislative Assembly of the Hawaiian Islands, in the Legislature of the Kingdom assembled: SECTION 1. The Minister of the Interior, as President of the Board of Health, is hereby expressly authorized, with the approval of the said Board, to reserve and set apart any land or portion of land now owned by the Government, for a site or sites of an establishment or establishments to secure the isolation and seclusion of such leprous persons as in the opinion of the Board of Health or its agents, may, by being at large, cause the spread of leprosy.

SEC. 2. The Minister of the Interior, as President of the Board of Health, and acting with the approval of the said Board, may acquire for the purpose stated in the preceding section, by purchase or exchange, any piece or pieces, parcel or parcels of land, which may seem better adapted to the use of lepers, than any land owned by the Government.

SEC. 3. The Board of Health or its agents are authorized and empowered to cause to be confined, in some place or places for that purpose provided, all leprous patients who shall be deemed capable of spreading the disease of leprosy, and it shall be the duty of every police or District Justice, when properly applied to for that purpose by the Board of Health, or its authorized agents, to cause to be arrested and delivered to the Board of Health or its agents, any person alleged to be a leper, within the jurisdiction of such police or District Justice, and it shall be the duty of the Marshal of the Hawaiian Islands and his deputies, and of the police offers, to assist in securing the conveyance of any person so arrested to such place, as the Board of Health, or its agents may direct, in order that such person may be subjected to medical inspection, and thereafter to assist in removing such person to place of treatment or isolation, if so required, by the agents of the Board of Health.

SEC. 4. The Board of Health is authorized to make such arrangements for the establishment of a Hospital, where leprous patients in the incipient stages may be treated in order to attempt a cure, and the said Board and its agents shall have full power to discharge all such patients as it shall deem cured, and to send to a place of isolation contemplated in Sections one and two of this Act, all such patients as shall be considered incurable or capable of spreading the disease of leprosy.

SEC. 5. The Board of Health or its agents may required from patients, such reasonable amount of labor as may be approved of by the attending physicians, and may further make and publish such rules and regulations as by the said Board may be considered adapted to ameliorate the condition of lepers, which said rules and regulations shall be published and enforced as in the 284th and 285th Sections of the Civil Code provided.

SEC. 6. The property of all persons committed to the care of the Board of Health for the reasons above stated shall be liable for the expenses attending their confinement, and the Attorney-General shall institute suits for the recovery of the same when requested to do so by the President of the Board of Health.

SEC. 7. The Board of Health, while keeping an accurate and detailed account of all sums of money expended by them out of any appropriations which may be made by the Legislature, shall keep the amounts of sums expended for the leprosy, distinct from the general account. And the said Board shall report to the Legislature at each of its regular sessions, the said expenditures in detail, together with such information regarding the disease of leprosy, as well as the public health generally, as it may deep to be of interest to the public.

The section referred to is as follows: § 302. When any person shall be infected with the small-pox, or other sickness dangerous to the public health, the Board of Health, or its Agent, may, for the safety of the inhabitants, remove such sick or infected person to a separate house, and provide him with nurses and other necessaries which shall be at the charge of the person himself, his parents or master, if able; otherwise at the charge of the Government.

For 900 years Hawaiian people lived and thrived on the Kalaupapa peninsula. Archaeological evidence of their lives and connection with the ʻaina, or land, is everywhere. Common features found around the peninsula are the remains of house sites, taro fields and irrigation systems, stone walls, and temples. Historical accounts from the early to mid-1800s speak of populations of 1,000 to 2,700 people living on the peninsula, in the valleys, and in the villages. Several stories and legends connected with this land tell of events occurring before European contact.

The ahupuaʻa is the basic land division in traditional Hawaiian society. Within this division, running from the uplands (mauka) to the sea (makai), could be found all of the resources needed to sustain Hawaiian life. People gathered sea salt and caught fish and other marine life from the ocean and tidal pools, conducted agriculture on the dry lands and wet valleys, obtained fresh water from perennial streams, and harvested the hardwood forests for many uses, including houses and canoes.

There are three ahupuaʻa on Kalaupapa peninsula, but four are within the boundary of the National Historical Park's boundary. The natural environment and resources found within the ahupuaʻa of Kalaupapa, Makanalua, Kalawao and Waikolu were rich enough to support human habitation for hundreds .of years. For Hawaiians involved with agriculture, there were three types of land available for growing crops. Ko Kaha Kai was land along the shoreline. Kula lands were on the lands above the shoreline. Kahawai lands were in the valleys, where fresh water could also be obtained. At Kalauapapa the kula lands were important for growing ʻuala, or sweet potatoes.

For over one hundred years, the Molokai Light has shone over the people of Kalaupapa Peninsula. More than just a guide for ships, the lighthouse inspires the art, music, and daily lives of the people in Kalaupapa. Today, the Molokai Light is as iconic to the Kalaupapa Settlement as the towering sea cliffs.

The Kalaupapa Peninsula was an ideal location for a navigational aid. The land protruded out to sea for a considerable distance from the otherwise incurving north coast of Molokai.

The Hawaiian Investigation report of 1902 emphasized the need for a primary seacoast light on north Molokai saying, “The great bulk of the Pacific coast commerce passes through the channel between the islands of Oahu and Molokai. Many hundreds of vessels now pass through this channel, and the number is rapidly increasing, and there are, with the single exception of the lighthouse at Diamond Head, no light-houses on the exposed points of either of these islands.”

Hansen’s disease was greatly feared by the public and many lawmakers opposed a lighthouse so close to the settlement. But in 1908, Congress appropriated $60,000 to build the lighthouse. The lighthouse tower is more than 120 feet tall, with 189 steps, making it the tallest lighthouse in the Hawaiian Islands.

Some of the most significant cargo to arrive at Kalaupapa had come from halfway around the world. The lantern and lens, made by Chance Brothers and Company in England, were ordered by the Lighthouse Board in September 1907.

The original lens is a bivalve or clamshell second-order Fresnel Lens. The lens is six feet in diameter and has a framework of bronze. Each piece is hand cut, ground glass fitted at a precise angle into a section of the optic, and each section is fitted exactly into the whole framework. An engraved number notes the position of individual pieces. There are 26 sections all together.

Thirty minutes before sunset on September 1, 1909, James Keanue climbed the stairs to the watch room tower to light the lamp. The Molokai Light shone more than 21 miles out to sea.

Isolation is not unique for lighthouses and their keepers, but at Kalaupapa, hundreds of Hansen’s disease patients lived only 1.5 miles away, and contact with them was prohibited.

Lightkeepers and their families were strictly confined to the lighthouse area. Permits and permissions from the Hawaiian Department of Health were required anytime they, or their guests, arrived at or left the station.

Many of the Hansen’s disease patients, who had also been isolated, understood the loneliness of the lightkeepers.

Patients would sometimes sneak over to talk to them. One patient-resident, Rose Lelepali, recalls, “They were so lonesome we would sneak up to the light station and talk story with them. There were still great restrictions, and we were not supposed to visit the light keepers, but the men were thankful for the company.”

People from the settlement rode their horses or walked up to see the light tower; it was a place to go, something to do, a sight to share. As the tallest lighthouse on the islands, it was a source of pride. Many men in the settlement were enthusiastic baseball players and formed several teams. Men from the lighthouse joined in the games.

Despite strict separation policies, people living at Kalaupapa found ways to share the companionship and human contact needed by all people.

Many patients enjoyed going to the airport at night to watch the light. It was a romantic feeling the light created. For Rose Lelepali, the light was part of her life.

Each night it swept across the cliffs and black lava rocks from which she fished. It rhythmically lit up her bedroom “like a full moon’s beam.” It was a light that had shown through the darkness of the settlement from the time Rose arrived as a patient. Rose recalls, “To see that lens; to see the source of the light was something I will always remember.”

Patient-resident Richard Marks once said: “Everyone of our people… can remember this light looking over us… That light has been very special to the people here. It has been here longer than any living person has. You could always look out and see it sweeping across the cliff. It is the Kalaupapa Light.”

Looking back, the pain of separation seems worse than the pain of disease. Now we ask, why did this happen? Why were almost 8,000 people torn from their families and sent into isolation, which for most lasted their entire life? Kalaupapa serves as a reminder of a nation in crisis when Hawaiian people were exposed to diseases for which they had no immunities. Options for preventing the spread of contagious diseases were few. Isolation for leprosy seemed like the best solution but came at a high personal price.

Kalaupapa is now a place for education and contemplation. It is a place where many families in Hawai'i can reconnect with a relative once considered "lost". It is a place where past suffering has given way to accomplishments made in the face of great adversity. It is a place where we can reconsider our responses to people with disfiguring disabilities or illnesses. It is a place where the land has the power to heal - because of its human history, natural history and stunning physical beauty.

It is amazing to consider how plants arrived in Hawai`i, the most isolated major island chain in the world. Over millions of years following their formation by volcanoes, these islands, stretching over 1,500 miles, were slowly populated by plants arriving over vast distances—blown by the wind, carried in the stomachs of a few animals, or carried by sea. Twenty-four hundred miles from the nearest continent or island group, the Hawaiian Islands are known for their ecological diversity and endemic flora. Around 95 percent of native Hawaiian plants are found nowhere else in the world, having evolved here on the islands following colonization by their ancestors.

Polynesian plant introductions can be found on the peninsula and throughout Kalaupapa settlement. These plants are also called “canoe plants” because the Polynesians brought these plants via canoes to help sustain their settlements on the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiians used ti for food wrappers, thatch for houses, and sandals. The bark of wauke was beaten into fiber for kapa cloth. Bananas and coconut palms provided food, while noni provided medicine and dye.

Invasive, non-native plants are a severe problem throughout the state of Hawai`i. Within the park the predominant alien vegetation is Christmas berry, koa haole, and lantana. These aliens threaten the remaining native and endemic vegetation. Non-native animals damage the remaining native plants and animals as well. Cattle, brought in for residents of the isolation settlement, have been removed from the peninsula but other introduced animals remain, including axis deer, feral goats, and feral pigs. Mongoose and rats are also present. None of these animals have natural predators, and all threaten what remains of Hawai`i’s natural heritage at Kalaupapa.

View the University of Hawai'i's comprehensive plant resource for Kalaupapa National Historical Park.

Kalaupapa National Historical Park protects habitats ranging from the ocean to the upland rain forest. The park’s boundary extends for a quarter mile offshore and includes 2,000 acres of ocean, two small islands and wet shorelines. All support a wealth of fish and wildlife resources. Over 30 federally-listed threatened and endangered species of plants and animals have been identified within the park.

Sediment cores from widespread archaeology studies show that loulu palm forests predominated in Hawaii's prehistoric lowlands. Polynesian colonists arriving in about 300 AD introduced new competing plants, the Polynesian rat, and cleared and burned these native forests for agriculture. Thereafter the endemic palm forests went into steep decline. Today they survive intact only on this tiny Huelo Islet near Kalaupapa's east boarder. The island is far enough from the coastline of Moloka'i to keep the loulu palms safe from rats that eat the seeds and alien competing plants. Huelo Island cannot be visited, but it can be viewed from Judd Park in Kalawao.

The coastal spray zone, located along the northeast shore of the peninsula, contains predominantly native plant communities. This habitat contains several federally endangered plants including the endemic haha, and alani. The endangered Carter's Panic grass can be found on the Kuka`iwa`a Peninsula. Native Hawaiian vegetation in the coastal spray zone includes `illima, hinahina, and naupaka.

Na pali , or sea cliffs, rising thousands of feet above the peninsula and ocean, separate the peninsula from the rest of the island of Moloka`i. Native vegetation such as `awikiwiki, and makou survives here because of the relative inaccessibility. Hala trees are native to Hawai`i and can grow from the shorelines to 1,000 foot elevation on the cliffs. This area has been designated as the North Shore Cliffs National Natural Landmark (1972), recognized as a significant remaining example of sea cliffs in the nation’s natural heritage.

Unique and native species can also be found within Kauhakō Crater. Endemic `ohe makai and wiliwili forest in the crater is the only remaining windward coast community of its type, low elevation dryland forest, known in the state of Hawai`i.

A lake at the bottom of the crater, less than one acre in surface area, is more than 800 feet deep and contains a sub-species of shrimp, which may be unique to this lake.

Waikolu Valley contains the park's sole perennial, or ever-flowing, stream, and one of only four such streams on the entire island of Moloka`i. The stream contains all five native diadromous (goby) fish species, native snails and shrimp. Surface and groundwater withdrawn from Waikolu is the source of most water for the entire western half of Moloka`i.

Pu`u Ali`i-`Ohi`alele Plateau, on top the cliffs to the east of Waikolu Valley, is one of the best examples of `ohi`a rain forest in Hawai`i. It provides essential habitat for rare native forest birds, including the `Amakihi, `Apapane, and the `I`iwi. In this intact native forest are varieties of ferns and peperomia.