Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement and National Historical Park

Infobox_nrhp2 | name =Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement and National Historical Park
nhld=yes
nhp = yes


caption =
location= Kalaupapa, Hawaii, Molokai, Hawaii, USA
nearest_city = Kaunakakai, Hawaii
lat_degrees = 21
lat_minutes = 10
lat_seconds = 40
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 156
long_minutes = 57
long_seconds = 36
long_direction = W
locmapin = Hawaii
area =
built =1866
architect= Board of Health,Hawaii
architecture=
added = January 07, 1976
designated_nhl = January 07, 1976cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1712&ResourceType=Building
title=Kalaupapa Leprosy Settlement|accessdate=2008-07-04|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
area = 10,779 acres (43.62 km²)
established_nhp = December 22, 1980
visitation_num = 48,772
visitation_year = 2005
governing_body = National Park Service
refnum=76002145cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2008-04-15|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in Kalaupapa, Hawaiokinai on the Hawaiian island of Molokaokinai. It was established by the United States National Park Service in 1980 to expand upon the earlier National Historic Landmark site of the Kalaupapa Leper Settlement [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/writeups/76002145.nl.pdf NHL Writeup] ] . Its goal is to preserve the cultural and physical settings of the two leper colonies on the island of Molokaokinai.

Establishment of leper colony

The removal of the Native Hawaiian inhabitants in 1865 cut the cultural ties and associations that preceding generations had established with the `aina (land) over 900 years.

Thereafter, the establishment of isolation settlements, first at Kalawao and then at Kalaupapa, led to broader dislocations across Hawaiian society as the kingdom, and subsequently, the territory of Hawai`i tried to control leprosy (also known as Hansen's disease), a much feared illness, by forcibly relocating patients to the isolated peninsula. The impact of both the broken connections with the 'aina and of family members "lost" to Kalaupapa are still felt in Hawai`i today.

Hansen's disease, caused by bacteria-based infection, has been cured since the 1940s with the introduction of modern antibiotics. There are no active cases of Hansen's disease in the Kalaupapa settlement or on the Island of Moloka'i, and those who reside in the colony presently are the few remaining elderly former disease patients and their descendant families who wish to continue to live in the neighborhood of housing maintained on the peninsula.

Park description

Kalaupapa National Historical Park, established in 1980, preserves the physical settings for these stories. Within its boundaries are the historic Hansen's disease settlements of Kalaupapa and Kalawao. The community of Kalaupapa, on the leeward side of Kalaupapa Peninsula, is still home for a few elderly surviving former Hansen's disease-scarred patients, whose memories and experiences of their ordeals with surviving the disease are cherished. In Kalawao on the windward side of the peninsula are the churches of Siloama, established in 1866, and Saint Philomena, associated with the work of Father Damien.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/kala/ National Park Service: Kalaupapa National Historical Park]
* [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080922/ap_on_re_us/leprosy_settlement Hawaii leprosy settlement faces sainthood dilemma]