National Park After Dark - Exile Island: Kalaupapa National Historic Site

Episode Date: December 27, 2021

the Hawaiian island of Molokai is home to one of the most remote peninsulas in the world. For over a century, thousands of people suffering from ma'i ho'oka'awale, or the “separating sickness” were ripped from their families and forced to the Kalaupapa peninsula, doomed to spend their lives in exile. The dark history of this place is lightened by the resilience of the  Hawaiian people, their enduring spirit and their efforts to protect and preserve this sacred place. If you'd like to learn more about the Ka'Ohana O Kalaupapa organization and what they are doing to preserve and honor the legacy of those forcibly moved to Kalaupapa, visit here.For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials at:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!BetterHelp: Visit our link for 10% off your first month of online therapy TodayTix: Use code NPAD for $10 off your first ticket purchase Beam: Use code NPAD for $20 offFor a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform. So flexible and intuitive, it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally, breathe. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs.

You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear open that envelope? It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic.

Let's play a game. I say a word. You envision yourself there. Hawaii. Ah, I bet you can feel it now, even if you've never been. The salty sea breeze in your hair. sand between your toes, and a cool drink in your hand. For many of us, especially Westerners, when we think of Hawaii,

we envision the industrialized, commercialized, tourism-centered version, the quintessential honeymoon destination, all-inclusive resorts full of pina coladas, sunbathing, and luxury stays in high-rises overlooking the ocean. Maybe you're picturing something different, Maybe instead of rest and relaxation, you imagine adventure. You may be thinking of paragliding in Haleakala or hiking in the craters of Hawaii volcanoes, the two national parks in this state.

No matter what category you fall into, it's safe to say that most people think of Hawaii as paradise. And it is, in so many ways. But today we aren't snorkeling in Honolay Bay and we aren't ziplining through the cloud forests. We are visiting the island of Molokai, where paradise turned into a prison where thousands were left and doomed to die. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

I knew Hawaii wasn't going to be a vacation. Like, listen, tell all this beautiful stuff you can do. And this is where thousands of people were left today. I'm very intrigued now. I know that this kind of seems like very similar to the episode theme that you did last week with the Island of Death episode. And it kind of is. It does have a little bit of similar ties, but it is super different. And it's something that I have never heard of before in the context of Hawaii at least.

So I was really interested to find this story. And it's not a big national park, but it's a national historic site. What's the national historic site? Kalaupapa National Historic Site. Okay. I'm not going to try and repeat that. So I went to Hawaii a few years ago, and every single road sign, every single, I tried so hard to pronounce it. And it was a huge struggle. I cannot pronounce anything.

And that's a really good point because I tried to leave in as much native Hawaiian language as possible. So I'm really sorry in advance for my attempt, but I did practice and I'm trying. So just give me a break. I'd rather at least try than not try it all. You're doing great, sweetie. So before we get into the story today, just a couple quick things. First of all, we hope that everyone had a happy holiday season. New Year's I know is right around the corner.

So I guess maybe it's not the very end of the holiday season, but we have a lot planned. for next year. I can't even believe how fast 2021 went by. And now that it's 2022, I mean, we've almost not quite yet, but we've almost been doing this for a year now, which is just insane and wild, because we've grown so much and we have so many people who are new here, which is so, so exciting. And we really appreciate all your support, like without you guys listening and all of your kind words, this podcast wouldn't have ever gotten as far as it has. and we have a lot of very new, exciting news that will be coming in 2022 that we're not going to reveal quite yet, but very, very exciting, a lot of big things coming.

Yes. So I know it sounds probably insignificant and something that you wouldn't really think to do, but we're asking as a please to keep our podcast going. It doesn't seem like it really makes that much of a difference, but it really truly does. Wherever you are listening to this podcast, wherever you are listening to this podcast, wherever you're listening to us, please rate and review the show. It really, it helps us grow our podcast so much more, which brings us more opportunities down the line. And it really does. It's kind of like a, what is that? The, um, is it a word or a phrase? A phrase. You know, like the effect that happens

after one thing happens than another thing happens. A domino effect. A domino effect. Yeah, it's a domino effect when you rate, review, subscribe to us because when we get more subscribers and more listen, We have more opportunities to do more things and add more things to the podcast. And when we get good reviews, we get more people who are interested. So if you have been enjoying the podcast, it means a lot to us. Yeah. So we're done begging for now. And I guess I'll share a story.

I guess that's what we're here for today. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting.

Watch only on Prime. We're going to Hawaii. I have been to the island of Oahu. Okay. I have not been to Hawaii, the big island, but it's on my list to go to all of them. And there's just so much beautiful stuff there that I really, I'm really excited that we're going to a different. island that I've never been to. And it's actually one of the least visited islands out of the eight main big islands in Hawaii. So I'm really excited to share about it and some of it dark history.

Of course, we're headed to Hawaii somewhere we haven't been on the podcast before. And just a little bit of a brief overview of Hawaii. This archipelago of eight major islands has a smattering of many smaller sea mouts and little islets and it's located in the north pacific ocean our destination today is the island of mollachi which has evaded the grasp of commercialized tourism which has touched other parts of hawaii this island was formed millions of years ago by two volcanoes it doesn't have infrastructure taller than a palm tree and is currently sparsely populated although there is archaeological evidence found on the island that has placed human activity here over 800 years. Very cool.

At 260 square miles, it's the fifth largest of the main Hawaiian islands, and its human residents mainly make their living by small-scale farming, ranching, pineapple, and sugar cane production. Many of the larger animals found here, like deer, cattle, and pigs, were introduced in the 1800s, given as gifts to, there we go. All right, if you saw this written out, you'd be praying for me. King Kamehameha, the 5th. He was a royal, and lots of visitors would come and give gifts. And some of those were goats and pigs and cattle and things like that. So those were introduced to the island. While other smaller creatures, like various species of spiders, birds and geckos, make up the vast majority of the land dwellers here. They live throughout the buried landscape of the island, which ranges from coastal dunes to high plateaus,

and lush forests. The dominating physical feature of this island is located on the remote north side, and they're sea cliffs, and they're the highest in the world, and they rise almost 4,000 feet from the sea to the sky. Below, spinner dolphins, green sea turtles, mantarays, and endangered monk seals can be found in the waters surrounding the island. And for today's story, we will be on the small remote peninsula on the island called Kalapapa, where starting in 1866, thousands of people were sent to die. So it is a beautiful island. If you look it up, if you look up Molokai, the first thing that comes up on Google images is those giant sea cliffs. Well, I know even when I went to Oahu, which is definitely a more populated island and is definitely more touristy. I mean, it has Honolulu on

it and I mean when I was on the island there was traffic everywhere for that one there were just so many people so but it was beautiful so I can imagine oh now I'm Googling it too it's on my list all right to fly in a helicopter and video it and hang my little feet out and then go to the actual island and stand on top of those cliffs it kind of reminds me of like um like the cliffs of Moherr that is so funny that you say that because I was showing Ian these and he said the same exact thing because he's been there. Oh, okay. And he's like, those remind me of the clothes of my hair. And I was like, oh, he's like, you've been there. But anyway. I've been to Ireland, but not there. So another thing that is on there. Don't say it. It's another place that is on my

written piece of paper that's long to go to. Great. So prior to European contact, the early Hawaiian population was thriving. When Captain Cook and his crew first arrived in 1778, which was the first documented European contact, they found a complex civilization which had roots going back thousands of years. Native Hawaiians had complex social structures, fine-tuned and advanced technology, a deep understanding and skill of celestial navigation, fishery development, artistry and agriculture. Mythology and ceremonies were of huge importance and were practiced and implemented in daily life. Captain Cook and the flood of Europeans that were soon to follow brought with them new materials,

ideologies, and goods to the islands. Everything from iron, firearms, Christian ministries, plants and animals were all introduced to Hawaii. As with most things, there is good and bad, and these introductions had a mix of both for the people and for the island itself. But there was one thing that the Europeans brought with them that did not have this mixture. There was no good involved here. Was it disease? Mm-hmm. Ah, Europeans, they just brought disease to every single place that they went.

What did they bring? Funny you ask. They brought a myriad of infectious diseases. everything from measles, polio, influenza, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infectious diseases like syphilis, and they tore through the Hawaiian population. Prior to European contact, there are obviously estimates with this, and so therefore there's a range. The estimates, guesstimate, there was about 800,000 to 300,000 people prior to European contact. but by the year 1823, there's only an estimated 135,000 natives left. Oh my God, that's horrible.

I mean, even if we're going with the low end of the estimate at 300,000, that's still half. Wow. That's really, really devastating and sad. And I imagine, I don't know if you know this or not, but when they were a lot of times when we hear stories of the Europeans coming over, were to the U.S. and Mexico and from Spain or like wherever they're coming from, a lot of times they have really bad sanitary conditions on the boats and that's where they're all getting really sick. So I imagine that a lot of these people arrive to the island already very, very sick. Absolutely. And a lot of, I didn't even get into it in the episode notes because it has nothing to do with this story. But now that we're talking about the infectious disease,

is in the European first contact. Captain Cook, there's a lot written about him and his expeditions and things because he went to the Hawaiian island three times. First by accident, actually. And there was an article, I think it was on history.com where they were talking about him and his crew members and how he allegedly was trying,

but very unsuccessful in trying to get his crew members to stop having sexual affairs with the Hawaiian Native women. And so like right off the boats, they're already intermingling and spreading all this disease everywhere. Do you know if this was consensual? No idea, but I would imagine not in every case. Yeah, that's kind of what I'm thinking is they just come over and take over. Wow, that's really awful.

Like just to have, like you said, Native Hawaiians, I mean, they already had their whole way of life, their culture. They weren't ridden with disease. and then these men come over riddled with diseases sick, and then they're immediately implementing their Christian faith and their beliefs. Yeah, it's a very similar kind of story with, I mean, I know that we focused primarily when we talk about this stuff in the past. We've talked about European influence on North America and the national parks here. But it's kind of a similar thing in Hawaii. And it's very unfortunate.

The episode doesn't get better. It gets worse. I'm glad you're covering this because I know very little about, I know that we took over and I say we because we're all, if you're American and you're white, you're probably have European descent. We kind of came over and then took over everything. But I don't know much about, I just don't know that much about it. Well, I'm not getting into the whole political breakdown.

because there are there were lots of royal families and they had this whole very complex social structure and caste system and everything in place. I'm not going to get into that whole thing. But it does, the European influence has a big sway in this story. And as far as all the infectious diseases that the Europeans brought over, they were all terrible in one way or another. But there was one disease that affected the population. that was more heartbreaking than the others. And that was Hansen's disease. What's that?

You may not have ever heard of Hansen's disease, but I know that you've heard of leprosy. Yes. Is that the same thing? It's the same thing. So Hanson's disease, aka leprosy, is caused by slow-growing bacteria, and this disease affects nerves, skin, and the eyes.

People infected with this disease will experience symptoms, including thickened and dry skin, ulcerations, muscle weakness, and skin growths. As the disease progresses, blindness, disfigurement, and paralysis of the hands and feet may also occur. And because of this paralysis, there's a loss of sensation in your extremities and some of your limbs, meaning that anybody affected is more prone to injuries like burns and injury because you can't feel anything. It's like have you heard of, there's a disease not caused by this, but there's some people who don't have any like nerve sensation at all and they'll like bite their tongues off and have no idea. Or like they can put their hand on like a hot stove top and just leave it there until all of their skins off and just have no idea like they're having a conversation and accidentally put it on.

And then they look and their whole hand is. Right. And I have heard of that. And I thought it was interesting to include the paralysis part because, so leprosy is a disease that is so sensationalized. I don't know when I first learned about it, how, et cetera, but I know I can picture in my mind somebody affected with Hanson's disease right now. And a lot of that has to do with the history of the disease and how it's been portrayed over time. But one of the myths surrounding leprosy, and there's quite a few of them, but one of them is that, your limbs would fall off. And that's not true, but it kind of is stemmed in reality because you

losing, say you lose sensation in your right hand and maybe you sustain an injury that leads to amputation, that's kind of where that came from. Because a lot of people would have to get some of their limbs amputated because they lose sensation and they sustain a really bad injury. So it's a secondary cause to what's going on. Right. So another myth about leprosy or I shouldn't say myth. I don't know if that's the right word because at this point in time, it's just a lack of understanding of the disease.

Because at this point in time, so in the 1800s, it was feared as this highly contagious, devastating disease that once somebody was inflicted that they had to be isolated and don't touch them or go near them because you're going to get it too.

And therefore, those who suffered from the disease were highly stigmatized and they were discriminated against. Kind of like Red Ash Island, where they just abandoned everyone? Yes, exactly. What was done to those suffering from this disease was horrible. They were segregated, exiled, and separated from their families and communities. And it's especially devastating in retrospect because we know so much more about the disease now today than what was understood then at the time, at the onset of our story,

this is taking place. Leprosy was once thought to be incurable, highly contagious, and therefore, those who got the disease were deemed outcasts, and they needed to be removed from the general population. So that's exactly what happened. First seen in the 1830s in Hawaii, this disease is slow progressing, meaning that it takes prolonged close contact with someone infected in order to be transmitted. So therefore, it didn't really spike in numbers of cases or severity of cases until the 1860s. In 1865, when cases were at an all-time high, the act to prevent leprosy was passed. And this act essentially criminalized having leprosy. It required police and health care workers to monitor, arrest, report, and quarantine anyone with symptoms. And it's important to note that at this

time, the Board of Health in Hawaii was heavily influenced by white westerners who really played into the hysteria of the disease and called for the removal of anybody infected. As a result of this, thousands of people were sentenced to permanent exile on the island of Molokai. What was known by natives as Myhooka Awale, the separating sickness, became devastating in an entire new way. only was it physically destructive, it was emotionally damaging as well. This act literally ripped apart families. There was no formal goodbye, no planned release date, and limited visitation once on the island. Infected people were taken from their families abruptly and sent away forever. And this obviously would be a huge blow to anybody, but family is such an integral part of Hawaiian culture.

family or Ohana is everything to this culture. It's the norm for generations, whether it's your close family, distant relatives, whatever, for everybody to live together. And family also extends past blood. Communities also cared for and lived after each other, pitched in with daily life. And just really, there's just a huge sense of community and family within Hawaiian culture. And before this act was signed into law. Leprosy was a thing. People were experiencing the disease, but people were caring for their sick loved ones in their homes. They weren't segregating them and pushing them out into exile. They were keeping them in their homes to love and care for them there. So now when this

act is passed, they have no choice and they're literally ripped away from their family and sent to a remote island. And forever. So they're not expected to ever recover. or? Right. Goodbye. Never see you again. Wow. So the first group of people to be exiled onto the island were a group of 12. There were nine men and three women and they were sent to the shores of Malachi in January of 1866. And this is not like pack your bags. You're going to go onto the ship and we're going to drop you off here. Here is your new home. The shores of this island have rough waters and the shores are not white sandy beaches. They're rocky. and somewhat dangerous, and boats have a very difficult time docking here. So they essentially got close-ish to the shore, threw them overboard, and just said, hope you make it. Oh, that's horrific. And they're sick, too.

They're in a weakened state. Thrown into the ocean. Thrown into the ocean, goodbye. A lot of people over time did not make it, but those who did got onto the shore of Malachi and were greeted by literally nothing. I was just going to ask, are there any structures on the island to live in? No. The government didn't provide them any housing.

They were very limited supplies. Basically, in the early years, anything that they just physically had on their bodies. There was nothing, no hospital care, no schools, no homes, literally nothing. We're now on the peninsula of Kalapapa, and it's an extremely isolated peninsula. on an already extremely isolated island. So the peninsula itself is relatively flat, and it's surrounded by ocean on three sides. On the fourth side, a 2,000 foot cliff.

It's about two and a half miles wide and juts out about two miles into the ocean, and the only quote unquote road to get to Kala Papa is a three and a half mile trail, dirt trail that's traveled primarily down by donkey. there's 26 switchbacks and it's over 2,000 feet steep. So not easy terrain. Not easy terrain and needless to say, not easily accessible, especially back in the 1860s, there aren't a lot of people who were going there that weren't forced to be there.

However, more and more people were forced here, starting with those first 12 individuals and eventually leading into the thousands. The first area of the peninsula to receive people was Kalawao. Kalawao. This is so funny and side note. One of my co-workers, Dr. Ono, is from Hawaii, and she's going to be just like making fun of me so bad at work for this. You pronounce every single thing wrong.

Yeah. I'm trying. I'm trying so hard. That was the first location and it was on the eastern side of the peninsula. But it was really wind-swept and inhospitable. When the first people were dumped on the peninsula, they were left with little supplies, and of course, no buildings or anything. So it was actually the Kama Ania, who were the local group of people on the island that initially started to care for them.

And it seemed like the government was just like hoping that the settlement would become self-sustaining, but it was very slow moving. Within the first years, only a handful of shelters were constructed, and word was starting to get back that the living conditions were miserable. With less than ideal living situations, failing health and little resources, burials started to outpace construction of the buildings, and mass graves were beginning to be utilized, as the death rate in the early years was about five people every day. Wow, that's really sad. So with the word about the colony and its living conditions getting out, the Hawaiian royal family and various religious communities started to visit and they started sending supplies. They even built its first church in the 1870s and by the 1890s, almost 300 buildings were constructed to house and treat the growing population of Hanson patients. In the early 1900s, the colony changed.

It was growing and very quickly. The peninsula started to see more and more patience and not just from Hawaii now. Because like you mentioned earlier, you were talking about how the American government overtook. Is overtook the right word? Gained control of Hawaii. I would say overtook because they did. They just showed up and took over everything. And to be clear, this is before the state was officially a state. It was just now under control of the government of the United States.

States and because of this, they were sending leprosy patients from everywhere. There were now patients coming in from Portugal, America, China. Like, there were so many people that were coming to this island. And with this whole new influx of patients, a need for improved and larger facilities was becoming very apparent. So the colony was moved to the north side of the peninsula and there were just different facilities that were built to meet the demand for the growing number of patients. And like we touched on before, Ohana and community are extremely important to this culture. Just because they found themselves in a terrible situation, and more often than not, away from their actual blood relatives, that didn't mean that the people on Kalopapa became individually

isolated. They created the best sense of community that they could, given the conditions. They went to church, participated in various activities, they went to school, they had dance night, and a lot of them participated in sports. One of the settlement's most lively buildings was called Pascal Hall. And it was a community building that held dances and different movie nights and everyone from the community would come. And they even had some visitors in later years. And two of them were notable to me. One was Jack London.

I don't know who that is. He wrote Call of the Wild. Oh, okay. And then the Von Trapp family. Oh, really? That's funny. So they had some people go and entertain. So these are the people that recovered from leprosy then? No. So when they do have visitors, because these visitors and there were, sometimes family members were allowed to visit, but they were all physically separated from the patients at all times. No one was ever allowed to touch each other, come near each other, and they were actually separated by chicken wire, separated, physically separated. Oh, wow. There was not any close contact allowed with visitors.

I know this is very different, but well, kind of different with the pandemic and me being so close to Canada, I know some people who have during the pandemic have gone to the Canadian border just to, like, wave at their relatives from like far away. That's so sad. Because they can't go back and it's the only way they can't visit. physically, like, see each other and, like, talk, like, shout from across the way. And it does bring a sense of, I mean, a visual aspect of comfort, and you are kind of near each other. It's better than never seeing each other.

But a lot of people didn't want to visit because the disease and how it was portrayed. But not everybody was deterred from visiting. Most notably, Father Damien de Voster. He was originally from Belgium. and he came to Cala Papa in 1873, and he devoted his life to the people there. He helped build homes. He developed farms and created schools. And he, I think he was canonized as a saint, like recently, like in 2009.

He himself eventually contracted Hanson's disease 11 years after his first arrival there and then died on the island five years after he became infected. Also a little thing I didn't include in here, and I don't know. But so he was buried there when he passed away. And then his body was exhumed in later years and sent to Belgium to be reinterred. But then somehow, some way his hand was taken from Belgium and taken back to Kala Papa, reinterred. So if you go to, he does have a grave there, but it's just his hand. That's so weird.

And you don't know why they just brought back his hand. I mean, I read about it. I didn't investigate further. I was just like, okay, interesting, moving on. So a little bit of him is still there in the island. But anyways, so of course, these people are snatched away from their own families, but they're trying to make the best of their life here because there is no end date other than death. So they decided to start making their own families.

and between the year 1900 and 1930, almost a thousand couples were married on the settlement. Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind. Thank you, Lilo and Stitch for helping us understand Ohana at a very basic and elementary level. I'll never forget. That's where I first learned the word ohana. Same, yeah, same. So some of these couples that got married, natural next step, in a lot of marriages is having children. So a lot of children were born into the settlement here on Kallelpapa. But sadly, they were taken away from their families and sent off and adopted out to other families.

So they didn't contract the disease during birth? Correct. So they're not born with Hansen's disease, but they could contract it. So the decision was made, I'm guessing, by officials because, none of the families I don't think would ever want to do this willingly. But then so they're ripped away from their families. Now they have a family and their children are being ripped away from them. And a lot of these people never found out whatever happened to their children.

And a lot of the children never knew who their biological families were. That's so sad. And I was just going to say, I wouldn't even have children if I knew that that was going to be the outcome. But if you think back to this time, there's obviously no birth control and there's no condoms. And I mean, I don't know when condoms were invented, but I am imagining not now. I have a feeling that it was like, I feel like there's a really rudimentary and basic form of a condom that was probably like really, really horrible and uncomfortable, but I'm sure it existed. I kind of want to Google it now. Now I want to know.

Yeah. Hey, Siri. When was the first condom invented? The latex condom was invented in 1929. Okay, 1929. That's latex though. Hey, Siri, when were the first condoms invented? I have the 1800s.

An 1839 inventor Charles Goodyear. Oh, wow. This is funny because Goodyear tires. In 1839 inventor Charles Good Year discovered rubber vulcanization. the technology of which led to the creation of the first rubber condoms in 1855. And Charles, Goodyear is the same thing as like Goodyear tires. Given that they were the thickness of a bicycle inner tube and had to be custom fitted, they were more than a little cumbersome.

Ew. Sorry if you guys are listening with your children right now, but they need to learn at some point. Sex ed and PAD version. Well, I can imagine, now I know why they were having children. And like, I'm not putting that bicycle tire anywhere near my, my situation down here. Back to Kalapapa. A lot of kids are taken away, heartbreaking and devastating, kind of all over. They have this trauma of being ripped away from their families, and now they're having

their own families that they've created ripped away from them. Even with all the sense of community that's going on, they're still, it's not like sunshine and rainbows here. And they are still all suffering from leprosy. People are suffering. And because of this, a lot of people wanted out. So there were escape attempts, but you have to remember that people were basically treated as criminals at this time who had leprosy. And there was actually bounties placed on people if they were to escape. And they were recaptured and brought back to the island. And where were you going to go? I mean, Hawaii is so isolated. Well, that and the rocky shores and the turbulent waters and things like that, it's dangerous. It's very dangerous. So clearly, life here was very difficult

for a very long time. But in 1946, things began to turn around. Prior to this, life expectancy was very short, and most patients died within a couple of years after being sent to the island. However, a new drug called Promen proved to be a miracle drug. And although at this time it was still in its experimental stages, it proved to be the cure that they were all searching and hoping for. It reduced the symptoms, halted the advance of the disease, and most importantly, it rendered the disease non-contagious. The physical barriers on the island that separated the patients from the visitors and the different healthcare workers that were there at the time, they all came down. and physical interaction was allowed, and the need for quarantine was rendered unnecessary, because now they have promen in this new medical advancement.

But it took another 20 years. So now we're up to 1969, when Hawaii finally reversed the law that exiled and imprisoned nearly 8,000 people onto this peninsula. 8,000 people ended up there. Wow. So they formed a whole new island with a whole new community. community and that's so crazy that it took 20 years to reverse that decision. You would think that it would be a little more fast-paced, but at the same time, it was an

experimental drug at the onset in the 40s into the 50s. So it did take a while. I'm sure that had something to do with it. So here we are, 1969, the people who were exiled and imprisoned on Kalapapa are finally free. However, Most of them never left. At this point, they had known no other life or had long since lost touch of their previous one. So a lot of them stayed, and they wanted to preserve the area

and the people that remained there, so they reached out to the National Park Service. We cover a lot of parks and monuments and sites and things that are protected for wildlife and wildland conservation, which is great and obviously something we're very passionate about and love. But I think that this site is so different than anything that we've ever really touched upon because it was preserved for the people and their legacy and their connection to the land, not for the land itself.

Well, that's so fun about historic sites is that there's a story behind it. And that's like the main focus of it. Exactly. The Kalaupapa National Historic Park was established in December of 1980. It is nearly 11,000 square acres and is jointly managed by both the National Park Service and the Hawaii Department of Health. At first, so in the 80s, the National Park Service and the Department of Health combined and joint forces, and a lot of park and state employees began to live there. alongside the community, the whole community is super lively.

A lot of people are on the mend, cured. It's kind of like not a big party, but there's just a different attitude and it's not so solemn. Everyone's drinking together and having a good time. There's drinking and dancing and potlucks and singing and it's good. It's good vibes there. But that didn't last forever. Things have changed here. Time has taken a toll. Buildings are deteriorating and the population is aging. In the 1990s, the National Park Service contributed to building and ground maintenance, and they did bring a lot of visitors because at this point it's a national park site. But that lively community that was there at one point just isn't there anymore. As of March of 2021, the patient population numbers at just 11, with no member below the age of 3rd.

70. Wow. So you say the patient population, so people who once had leprosy or what was the name of it? Hanson's disease. Hansen's disease, yeah. Wow. Yeah. These are the last remaining members of the people who are exiles there chose not to leave. There were 8,000 of them and now there's just 11 of them. Actually probably last now because that was from March and we're in December. Well, it's funny because we say, like there's only so many people that are left, but it's wild that this history is so recent that there's still anybody at all. I know. It's a historic park, but it has very real and living ties to the present. And that's why it's so unique because you go down a lot of national historic parks and you have to imagine what things were like and imagine the people. And here, there is some remnants left

of that time. So the question is, what comes? What is to come of Kalopapa? Many residents, state, and national park employees are concerned for the future of the peninsula. There are a lot of worries for development and the area becoming a popular tourist destination. While it is a location that can be visited, the land is sacred. So many lives are deeply intertwined and connected with the land here, and there's also the dead. At this point, they far outweigh, number the living. Of the thousands of men, women, and children who were sent here, only about 1,200 graves have been identified, leaving thousands in mass burial sites with no markers. Also, there were many wooden markers that were swept away in a 1946 tsunami, which carried away

any evidence of who these people were. It is thought that over 5,000 people are buried on the peninsula, and the historic park currently has 15 separate cemeteries. Wow. That just just thinking that the way that you said people are really worried about the park and what's going to become of it because once all these people pass away and die, who's going to be left to care? Who's going to be left to fight for it? The National Park Service is one of those entities because for them, this park is a preservation paradise. There are over 200 historic structures that remain here that were built between 1900 and 1960 that are in need of constant repair and upkeep because of there's a lot of termite damage,

salty environment, wood-rought, age-related changes, and of course the tropical environment that it's in. And upkeep of these structures is considered vitally important because, like you said, soon, these are the only things that are going to be left to tell the story of Calapapa. And currently right now, the park is closed to the public and has restricted entrance. due to the patients because they're at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. They're all elderly and have pre-existing conditions. So visitation here is highly restricted. And also the Kalopapa Poly Trail, which is that long, steep trail that comes down the

mountainside into the community itself is closed indefinitely due to a landslide. So right now it's only accessible by air and by boat. But the boats can only come within a quarter mile of the shore. So you have to get special permits. It's so isolated right now. So do they have, so they must have planes that come in and bring supplies and things like that? I'm pretty sure I read that they get weekly aircraft drops of supplies, like food and necessary things. And they get supplies by cargo ship once a month.

Okay. Yeah, because I know when I went to Oahu, everything's so expensive because everything's imports. Unless you're getting fruits and things that are native to the island itself, a lot of things are imported there. So I was just curious of how they're getting their supplies. But once the trail is operational again and when the restrictions are lifted, if you decide to visit this park, remember, there is no food and drink and beverage facilities, like you can get a snack. There's a lot of inclement weather, like, the landslide that took out the only trail that leads out of there. So just be prepared for things.

They advise on the National Park site that if you are to go, that you're to stock up and bring all of your essential supplies, including medical supplies, if you need them, because you never know if you're going to be stuck there for a while. And they do cap, or they have in the past, capped visitation at 100 people a day. So even though people are worried about tourism and things, obviously it does generate some income from the area, but it is very, very limited. And most people access the park when able by mule down that big trail down the mountain side. Oh, wow. That's really cool. So the future for Kala Papa is somewhat uncertain.

While the National Park Service presence has certainly helped the peninsula and its community for years, and there is a push for a continued presence there, some have advocated for returning the land to the descendants of the original family, that lived there prior to the colony being there. And others have also suggested that maybe this area should be utilized for homesteading, but no matter what route is taken, the goal seems to be the same, and that's protection and preservation of this sacred site. And one organization is at the forefront of that.

The Kaohana Okala Papa organization is dedicated to promoting the legacy of those that were torn from their families and forced to live here. They're a group that's comprised of the Kowlapapa residents, their families and friends, and they are dedicated to promoting the value and dignity of the individuals that were brought here. They're working on several different projects, including the Names Project, where they're working to pour over all the old records and track down and document and then digitally record every single individual who is forced here. They pour over death, church, birth, and marriage records, and they scour newspaper articles and dissect personal letters found in archives to do this.

They have the Restoration of Family Ties Project, which has helped connect over 800 descendants, learn about their lives of their ancestors. And finally, their memorial project, which is still in the fundraising stages, hopes to create a monument on the grounds with every single name of every single person that was forced on to. the peninsula. And they hope that this will be a place where families and descendants of those that were lost on the island can come together in celebration and in remembrance. And lastly, January has been officially designated as Kalaupapa Month in Hawaii. By dedicating the month to the history of what happened here, there is a hope that what took place in Kalapapa will become more integrated in school curriculums and that the general public will learn of. And of course, remember the people who were sent there and how the misunderstanding of the

diseased caused so much heartbreak but then resulted in so many people overcoming adversity, finding love, and a sense of accomplishment within their community. And that is the story of Kyle Lapapa, the National Historic Park with one foot in the past, the other in the present, and its future in the balance. I really love stories like this for a couple of reasons. and the main one is when you talked about that there's still people who are alive and trying to keep this story alive. It's so important. And it's really important, I think, to really take advantage of that now while people are still alive because there's so many stories and history where it's a really good example to talk to people now because you're not going to have that choice.

Not that far from now. And a lot of that actually reminds me of the Holocaust. Like there are every single year, more and more Holocaust survivors are dying from old age. And if we don't listen to their stories now, if we don't hear what happened now, that story is going to get lost. And the scariest part about stories getting lost. And it's like the phrase, history is doomed to repeat itself if you don't learn from the past. So I just think that these stories are so interesting and so important to, keep telling because these people aren't going to be around forever. So it's our job and the future

generation's job to keep talking about it and to keep the history alive. So while they are still alive, it's important to talk to them. So well said, because it's true. And this is such an opportunity to do that. And I think that a lot of Hawaiian natives, especially those who are descendant from these families or knew these families or related or friends. But even Hawaiian culture in general, I think that they feel a really great desire and a big responsibility to do just that. So I think that's why this project is so special because they are so focused on just that, is preserving their legacy and continuing this story. So I'll link their website in the show notes just so everyone can check out the project if they want. And I did want to end with just a few kind of interesting

facts about Hawaii that I never knew and came across during research and didn't really have like a super easy way of integrating them into this actual story. Okay, so one of them, I did want to clear up some things about leprosy and Hansen's disease. So because we learned a lot about what people thought it was, but not really what it is now. So Hansen's, disease is one of the least contagious of all the communicable diseases there are. And back then, yeah, people thought that it was spreading like wildfire, but in reality, only 5% of the world's population are susceptible. As of right now, the World Health Organization reports that there are currently about 1.2 million

registered cases in the world, and they're spread throughout 55 countries. And of course, that's now because of modern medicine. and advances in that. But overall, that's a big leap from where we were before. And then switching gears entirely, Hawaii is the only U.S. state to grow coffee, and it is sold as one of the most expensive coffees out there, and it comes in at $34 a pound. Wow. Is it good? I would love to know. I've never had it. I'll definitely get, you know, I'll be getting a cup when we go to Hawaii because I have an addiction. Yes, which is the trip we have not planned yet, but partially because I might get arrested

in the airport when we get there. Yeah, Cassie's a fugitive, Hawaiian fugitive. I am. Hawaii fugitive. Or a fugitive of Hawaii. Just to clear it up a little bit, it was my first time driving in Oahu, and their speed limits are a lot different than on the East Coast, and I was on the highway, and I thought the speed limit was like 65 because that's what it is here. It is not. It is 50. And so I was going

65. I got pulled over. And I explained to the police officer that it was my first time driving there. I had no idea. And he was just like, no, you're speeding. Like here's a ticket. And I was really, really, really, really broke at the time. And so I actually peeled it. I won. They did it to a lesser. or they did like a traffic violation or something like equivalent to running a stop sign. They lowered it down to. But it was still $100. And I was working an outdoor job. I made like $200 biweekly or something like that.

And I still couldn't pay it. And I never did. And now they call my mom's. I don't know why they have my mom's number, but they do. And they call her every day to get the money from my ticket. So I just don't have their number and I'm going to get it and I'm going to pay it soon. That is a shit excuse. You have their number.

Just ask your mom. I know. I've been meaning to. They just don't call me and I don't think about it until like moments like this and my mom doesn't mention it very often. But I will. I'll pay it so we can go to Hawaii and I won't get arrested on the spot when we get there. Yeah, I don't need dog the bounty hunter like rolling up on us and sacking you the second we step foot in Hawaii. Yeah, I also don't need that.

This one was very interesting and one that kind of was highlighted to me because we just watched 14 peaks. Mount Akeh is Hawaii's tallest volcano coming in at 13,796 feet above sea level, but is also the world's largest mountain. Mount Everest stands at 29,035 feet from sea level, but Mount O'K has an additional 19,680 feet below the water. Wow. So technically, that is the largest mountain on earth. Wow, I never knew that. I've never even heard that before. Me either.

That's cool. Also, before European contact, the Hawaiian language was strictly oral. They never had a written language. but when Europeans came, they kind of forced everybody to do a lot of things. And one of them was to start writing, mostly because they wanted to be able to teach the writings of the Bible and things like that, had to do with a lot of Christianity stuff. And essentially, over time, their native language was banned in 1898. And it is now their official language, but that was only after the language was resurrected in 1970.

Stop. In the 1970s, okay, so there had to have been like generations who lost the ability to speak it then. I feel like, I feel like Native Hawaiians still. I don't know exactly what this band like meant, like if people are arrested or you just couldn't speak it in public or like what the stipulations were. Because I feel like there's no way that that could be enforced and or that Hawaiians would follow that. but essentially even in some capacity it was banned. Yeah, it's funny because I know, so this is different, but one of my friends, her family is French speaking. And they're from Canada and they came over here and her mom spoke fluent French as a child. But she dropped the language because people in the U.S. made fun of her accent and her talking.

So she, because of basically shame from other people, she dropped the language and she doesn't speak it fluently anymore because she dropped it at such a young age because of bullying and things like that. So I'm just curious if the language was lost in some instances because of being shamed about the language and things like that. That's certainly possible in individual cases, I'm sure. I'll ask Dr. Ono if she knows any personal stories about this with her family because her family still lives in the islands and she probably has way better insight into this. Yeah, I'm sure in some individual cases that could have happened. Yeah, and if you are Hawaiian, like, send us a message and tell us, because we love to learn about new cultures and history and languages, and it's our, like, it's our favorite.

So please educate us. Let us know because we really, really want to know firsthand from people who really know. Yeah, because, I mean, I can read things on Google all day, but it's nothing compared to firsthand knowledge. Yeah, that's it for. our first trip to Hawaii and I know it was probably a little unexpected because a lot of people have been requesting that we come here and to a lot of the main national parks and things like that which all have great stories and I was very tempted but the historian in me really wanted to dive

into something that was a little lesser known but very important I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did researching it and I hope that you learned something new. Oh, I loved it. I love doing things that are less known. And of course, like us going to Hawaii for a story certainly does not mean it's our last time ever coming. And we will certainly revisit parks over and over again as we get a little bit older in the podcast. But we do like to switch things up a bit. But we will certainly be back to Hawaii. Great. Well, thank you everyone for such a wild 2021. this podcast has changed a lot in our lives and we're really looking forward to exploring more parks and more places. And just as a side note, everything that's national park run is fair game. No matter what country, no matter what state, if you are like, if you have a country where there's a park there that you want covered, send us a message. And obviously we can't cover it every single week, every single record.

but every time you all send us a message and you're like, please go to New Zealand. Like there's really cool spots here or go to Ohio, which has been a huge one that people have been asking and don't worry, we plan to go there. We do add it to our list of episodes that we're going to do. We just have a long list right now. But please send us whatever country, whatever state, whatever park, historic site. If we can link it to a national park in some small way, literally a park ranger could like visit there and we'll be like, okay, National Park.

It counts, it counts. We'll find a way to link them. So let us know. Thank you everyone for joining us and making our 2021. We wish you the best going into 2022. We'll see you on the other side. In the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch you're back.

Mahalo. Is that how you say? Mahalo. Mahalo. Is it Mahalo? Is that hello or goodbye? Well, Aloha, I think, can be used for either hello or. or goodbye, but I think it's primarily used by Native Hawaiians, so I'm not sure.

Oh, it's an expression of gratitude, so it can be used at saying thank you. Oh, well, mahalo. Mahalo. Thank you so much for coming along with us again this week. If you have a trail tale or story suggestion, send us an email at NPAD Stories at gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National Park After Dark, and on Twitter at NPAD Podcast. Come hang out with us on Patreon for monthly bonus episodes and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our sponsors, you are supporting our show. For exclusive discount codes, along with source information from today's episode,

check out the show notes. For more information on our show, our book recommendations, merch, updates, and more. Visit our website at NPAD podcast. and please rate, review, and subscribe from wherever you listen to podcasts. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you may not know yet. Drivers who switch and save with Progressives save over $900 on average. Pop over to progressive.com, answer some questions,

and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit Progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little. cash back. Progressive casualty insurance company and affiliates. National average 12-month savings of $946 by new customers surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary.