What is its relationship to leprosy? Revealing a secret inside a national park in Hawaii

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - On the northern side of one of Hawaii's less-visited islands, Molokai, a sliver of land juts out into the ocean, dubbed the Kalaupapa Peninsula. When you look at it for the first time, you might think it is paradise.

The peninsula is about 17 square miles (44 square km) in area, and emerges from the base of sea cliffs that rise thousands of feet above them. Below, an idyllic village lies on its western side, surrounded by lots of greenery.

A tall historic lighthouse stands along the coast, and the sea extends to a series of beaches. If you look east, you will see small offshore islands as if drawn by a painter's brush.

But appearances can be deceiving, as this part of Hawaii was entered into the National Park Service system not only for its scenic beauty, but also for its dark history. Today, Kalaupapa is the world's most famous colony for patients suffering from Hansen's disease, more commonly known as leprosy.

As of April 2024, eight people were still registered with the patient registry in Kalaupapa. About half of them live full-time on the peninsula.

It is noteworthy that the oldest of them will turn 100 this year. Although they are often referred to as "the patients," these eight people are actually patients who have recovered from Hansen's disease, having been cured long ago, thanks to medications introduced in the 1940s.

These medications effectively reduced the disease and eliminated the need for forced isolation. This remote national historical park did not open its doors despite the absence of federal or state health restrictions related to the Corona virus.

It has remained continuously closed to visitors for the past four years. Recently, the park has come under increasing public pressure from tour operators to explain its ongoing closure and reveal its plan to reopen to visitors.

Epidemic: Patients Become Prisoners In the 19th century, an epidemic broke out when leprosy first reached the Hawaiian Islands. With no cure or immunity among local residents to the disease, the disease quickly spread through Hawaiian communities.

The strong social stigma associated with the disease, combined with the resulting distortions and misunderstandings, has caused panic. People with mild symptoms were treated at local health clinics, but advanced cases were seen as a threat to the community.

The Hawaiian monarchy, led by King Kamehameha V, decided that patients with advanced forms of leprosy needed to be quarantined. The Kalaupapa Peninsula, bounded by the ocean on three sides and towering sea cliffs on the fourth, was considered the best place for this.

In 1865, the Hawaiian monarchy took control of the peninsula, forcibly removing the indigenous communities who had occupied the land for 900 years. People with advanced leprosy in the Hawaiian Islands, including those living on Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Lanai, and Kauai, were forcefully brought by boat to the Kalaupapa Peninsula, where they lived out the rest of their lives in isolation.

A scientific study conducted by the University of Bari, Italy, on the history of leprosy stated that “the physical impairments resulting from the disease and the devastating effects on the skin and nerves have aroused prejudice, fear and isolation in all societies since ancient times. This reality led to the isolation of infected patients, where they lived in a state of poverty and loneliness.”

Unfortunately, this was not a merciful process in Kalaupapa. Husbands were separated from their wives, children from their mothers, and families were never reunited.

Anyone diagnosed with the disease, regardless of their age or responsibilities at home, is forcibly sent to Kalaupapa. Since the first "patients" arrived in 1866, more than 8,000 people have died on Kalaupapa, far from their loved ones.

The majority of these deaths occurred within the first 75 years or so. After World War II, new treatments for leprosy emerged, essentially curing patients.

The barriers between those infected with the disease and those without it began to be removed. In 1969, mandatory quarantine laws were repealed.

The sick, whoever remained, were free to return home. But some decided to stay and live the rest of their lives in Kalaupapa including the people currently registered.

Over time, it became their home, and adjusting to life outside the borders of Kalaupapa proved difficult for many. In 1980, Kalaupapa became a National Historical Park with the goal of “preserving the memories and lessons of the past,” according to the National Park Foundation.

Beauty and Suffering The combination of Kalaupapa's visual beauty and human suffering has proven to be a powerful combination for writers, artists, and historians alike. There are countless forgotten people who dedicated their lives to the medical, clerical, and community duties needed to care for the sick in Kalaupapa.

But one famous example is Father Damien (now a saint), who spent more than 15 years ministering to the sick on Kalaupapa before falling ill and dying at the age of 49 in 1889. Today, a statue of him stands in front of the state Capitol on Oahu.

Although his remains were returned to his native Belgium, his initial grave can still be found on the Kalaupapa Peninsula. Refuge/Colony Today, Kalaupapa still operates primarily as a refuge and an active “colony.”

Although we don't know exactly what tours will look like when they resume, previous tours have used an old school bus to take visitors on Kalaupapa, look at ancient buildings, learn about history, and maybe even meet indigenous people. The Future of Kalaupapa At some point, Kalaupapa will reopen for tours.

Looking to the future, when there are no more patients left on the peninsula, is one of the main goals of the Kalaupapa Interagency Transition Working Group. Land rights also need to be addressed once the former patients leave.