Today marks the 40th anniversary of the National Park Service’s presence at Kalaupapa on Molokai. COVID-19 has forced a change in plans to commemorate the milestone. Tours and access has been curtailed for most of the year. Today we hear from the park superintendent about what its presence in the historic settlement has meant as we plan for the day when the last resident leaves what has been home for so many.
We also hear personal reflections frome one man long exiled to the islands and we rebroadcast some stories about the island’s place names and important history about the efforts to find a cure for Hansen’s Disease or leprosy.
Protecting the historic, cultural and natural resources in the Kalaupapa settlement
Kalaupapa National Historical Park was first established in 1980. It was meant to expand the National Historic landmark of the Kalaupapa Leper settlement.
Those afflicted with Hanson’s Disease were sent into isolation, separated from their family and friends. 40 years later we reflect on life there... we hear from the Superintendent Erika Espanola about the efforts to green the settlement and manage the very special place.
Memories of a Kalaupapa resident
It was back in 2013 that HPR’s Noe Tanigawa talked to Kalaupapa resident Makia Malo. An award winning writer, storyteller, educator, Malo, was diagnosed with Hansen’s disease at age 12, and exiled to Kalaupapa in 1947. Makia Malo has been featured at the Hawai’i Book and Music Festival. He wrote the book-- My Name is Makia: A Memoir of Kalaupapa.
Remembering the history and names of Kalaupapa
June of last year marked the 45th anniversary of the end of isolation in the Kalaupapa settlement for Leprosy or Hansen's disease. The residents who had endured permanent quarantine because of their contagious disease moved into the remote settlement and most died there.
We reached out to local historian and author John Clark to talk about the parallels with our seclusion due to COVID-19.
The lasting legacy of Alice Ball
We remember Alice Ball, the first black female chemist to obtain her degree at the University of Hawaii and her groundbreaking research on the Chaulmoogra tree one of the first treatments to cure Leprosy.
Master gardeners cultivate the chaulmoogra tree
We continue the story of the chaulmoogra tree and its ties to Kalaupapa. You can find one growing at the UH Manoa campus next to Bachman Hall. We were there earlier this year with a Master Gardener group that set up an exhibit to draw attention to its storied past.
Remembering the people of Kalaupapa
The group Ka Ohana o Kalaupapa's mission is to make sure the history of the settlement lives on. Executive Director Val Monson is focused on raising money for a memorial that will list the names of thousands of residents who lived there. The group is hosting an online fundraising concert honoring the music of Kalaupapa which is available to screen until January 3rd. The concert is available on Facebook (facebook.com/kalaupapaohana) and You Tube (youtube.com/user/palolosteve).
