Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2009 — Kalaupapa Memorial [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Kalaupapa Memorial

Tliis month 's article is written by Valerie Monson, staunch advocate and board member ofKa 'Ohana O Kalaupapa. Many of us in Hawai'i have been filled with pride as Father Damien de Veuster heeame Saint Damien last month in Rome. It was especially exciting to see the 11 Kalaupapa kūpuna who made the long journey to witness this historic occasion. Now that the celebrations for Damien are winding down, it is time to focus on the people of Kalawao and Kalaupapa who will all be remembered on the Kalaupapa Memorial that is being established by Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa. Many of these early residents lived and worked alongside Saint Damien, inspiring himjust as he inspired them. We believe that Saint Damien would be the first who would want to make sure that all the estimated 8,000 people who were taken fromtheir families and isolated on the Kalaupapa peninsula because they were diagnosed with leprosy will never be forgotten. More than 90 percent of those sent to Kalaupapa were Kanaka Maoli. By listing their names on the Memorial, the people of Kalaupapa will always be remembered - and their families will be able to find closure and healing. Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa is a nonprofit organization made up of Kalaupapa kūpuna, their family members/descendants andlongtime friends. The Kalaupapa community asked the 'Ohana to make the Memorial a priority. With the support of Congress, the law containing the Kalaupapa Memorial Act was passed and signed by President Barack Ohama in March. During the last two weeks of September, puhlie meetings regarding the Environmental Assessment process and the location

of the Memorial were held jointly by Ka 'Ohana and Kalaupapa National Historieal Park in various parts of the islands. The message at every meeting was clear: Follow the wishes and direction of the people of Kalaupapa, past and present. The Kalaupapa community and Ka 'Ohana have had many discussions regarding the Memorial over the years. Clarence "Boogie" Kahilihiwa, President of Ka 'Ohana, has stated that the Kalaupapa community has been talking about a Memorial since 1985. He said the majority of residents preferred the location to be at the site of the 01d Baldwin Home, a vast, tree-filled space mauka of St. Philomena Church, also known as Saint Damien's Church, in the original settlement of Kalawao. There are now only a few cement ruins left from the complex that housed the boys and single men from 1894 to 1932. Kahilihiwa wanted to make sure that the voices of those Kalaupapa residents who supported that location, but who have since died, were not left out of current discussions. Ka 'Ohana also supports the Memorial on the site of the 01d Baldwin Home not only because the Kalaupapa community has long favored it, but because this loeation is the most historically relevant. The majority of the first 5,000 people who were relocated to Kalaupapa between 1866 and 1896 would have lived in Kalawao and lie in unmarked graves. The field makai of the 01d Baldwin Home contains at least 2,000 unmarked graves. At the end of the puhlie meeting at Kalaupapa, a vote of more than 50 people in attendance was taken. Nearly everyone stood up to support the preferred loeation for the Memorial at the 01d Baldwin Home. The Environmental Assessment is now underway. Archaeological and other studies will be conducted. Ka 'Ohana has proposed building the Memorial in increments or sections rather than a long wall or large structure so, if ancient burials or cultural features are found, the Memorial will move around them. Any burial will remain in plaee. Ka 'Ohana hopes to soon announee plans for a design contest for the Memorial. For information, see kalaupapaohana.org. ■

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Cūlette Y. Machadū Trustee, Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i