Moloka'i - Hawaii - page 818

Once the afflicted arrived on Kalaupapa Peninsula, there was no way out, not even in a
casket. The original settlement was in Kalawao, at the wetter eastern end of the penin-
sula. Early conditions were unspeak-ably horrible, with the strong stealing rations from
the weak, and women forced into prostitution or worse. Life spans were invariably short
and desperate.
Father Damien arrived at Kalaupapa in 1873. He wasn't the first missionary to come,
but he was the first to stay. What Damien provided, most of all, was a sense of hope and
inspiration to others. Brother Joseph Dutton arrived in 1886 and stayed 44 years. In addi-
tion to his work with the sick, he was a prolific writer who kept the outside world in-
formed about what was happening in Molokaʻi. Sister Marianne Cope arrived a year be-
fore Damien died. She stayed 30 years, helping to establish a girls' home and encour-
aging patients to live life to the fullest. She is widely considered to be the mother of the
hospice movement.
The same year that Father Damien arrived, a Norwegian scientist named Dr Gerhard
Hansen discovered Mycobacterium leprae, the bacteria that causes leprosy, thus proving
that the disease was not hereditary, as was previously thought. Even in Damien's day lep-
rosy was one of the least contagious of all communicable diseases: only 4% of human
beings are even susceptible to it.
In 1909 the US Leprosy Investigation Station opened at Kalawao. However, the fancy
hospital was so out of touch - requiring the patients to sign themselves in for two years,
live in seclusion and give up all Hawaii-grown food - that even in the middle of a lep-
rosy colony, it attracted only a handful of patients. It closed a few years later.
Since the 1940s sulfa antibiotics have successfully treated and controlled leprosy, but
the isolation policies in Kalaupapa weren't abandoned until 1969, when there were 300
patients here. The last arrived in 1965 and today the remaining handful of residents are
all in their 70s or older.
While the state of Hawaii officially uses the term 'Hansen's disease' for leprosy, many
Kalaupapa residents consider that to be a euphemism that fails to reflect the stigma they
have suffered, and continue to use the old term 'leprosy.' The degrading appellation
'leper,' however, is offensive to all. 'Resident' is preferred.
Sights & Activities
At the bottom of the park's near-vertical pali is a deserted beach with stunning views of
the steep cliffs you've just come down. If you've come by mule, the ride ends here and
you'll board a small bus for the tour. If you're hiking, wait for the mandatory tour here,
for which you should book in advance.