Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa’s dreams coming closer to fruition after 20 years

Governor David Ige signs Senate Bill 3338 – The Kalaupapa Memorial funding bill for $5 million – with key supporters looking on. From left: Valerie Monson, Executive Director of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa; UH President David Lassner; Senator Brian Taniguchi; Danette Wong Tomiyasu, Deputy Director of Health Resources, the State Department of Health; Governor Ige; DeGray Vanderbilt, Legislative Liaison for Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa; Hitoshi Hida, architect who created the design for the Memorial; Senator Lynn DeCoite; Kalaupapa descendant Nainoa Woodward and his grandparents, Margaret and Aaron Wong. Ka ‘Ohana supporters are holding photos of Kalaupapa leaders Bernard Punikai`a, Boogie Kahilihiwa and Kuulei Bell who have all died and are buried at Kalaupapa. Photo courtesy of the Office of Governor David Ige.

7/1/2022: Governor David Ige has signed a bill passed by the State Legislature that appropriates $5 million to plan and build a memorial honoring the thousands of men, women and children once isolated on the Kalaupapa Peninsula of Moloka‘i. Ige signed the bill on June 29th in a ceremony in his offices at the State Capitol.

The Governor singled out Senators Lynn DeCoite and Brian Taniguchi for their persistence in leading the effort in the State Senate to pass the bill to fund The Kalaupapa Memorial. Ige also praised Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa, the nonprofit organization made up of Kalaupapa residents, family members and friends that proposed the legislation and worked with lawmakers throughout the process.

“Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa has been working towards this Memorial for almost 20 years,” he said. “Their determination and dedication to honoring the people of Kalaupapa is an inspiration to all of us…the emotional and heartfelt stories of Kalaupapa that you shared during public testimony certainly made a difference and often times symbolized the best in humanity.”

The Kalaupapa Memorial was the idea of the residents of Kalaupapa. When Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa organized in 2003, the residents attending that first meeting asked that establishing a memorial be a priority of the new organization to honor the people who were taken from their families and forcibly isolated on the peninsula because they were diagnosed with leprosy, now also known as Hansen’s disease. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed The Kalaupapa Memorial Act, directing the Secretary of the Interior to authorize Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa to establish a memorial. Since that time, Ka ‘Ohana has been working through various environmental review processes, developing a design for the Memorial and compiling the residents’ names.

“This Memorial cannot remedy that part of Hawai‘i’s history, but it certainly gives us the opportunity to create a monument that can honor the memory and the legacy of those isolated at Kalaupapa. It is my hope that this will be a testament to the resilience of the residents of Kalaupapa and their determination.”

– Governor David Ige

Valerie Monson, executive director of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa, thanked everyone involved with the long process of getting the bill from an idea to being signed.

“Thanks to each of you…all the names will be remembered, their legacies carried on,” said Monson. “Descendants will be able to touch the name of their ancestor and feel a connection they will never forget.”

Words of Advice from a Dedicated Preservationist

When HHF asked Monson if she would offer advice to other grassroots groups based on her own experiences, she was delighted with the opportunity, joking that it’s something she has had plenty of time to think about!  Monson also provided further details about the Memorial’s design and future location.

1. GRIT — AND FAITH

My first piece of advice: Never Give Up. I actually have a small banner hanging on our lanai that says, “Never Give Up” along with a quote from the Dalai Lama. There will be many times you want to give up on a big project–I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dissolved in tears learning that we had yet another hurdle to clear, another long process to navigate. Sometimes you have to buoy one another’s spirits, pull up someone who might be very discouraged or simply exhausted.

You need a group of people–even a small group–who truly believes in the project, believes it is your responsibility, your kuleana, to work together to bring it to fruition. This small group can spread the enthusiasm to others.

2. VISION

I think the biggest reason for our success is that forming Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa was the vision of Kalaupapa resident Bernard K. Punikai‘a and his idea was embraced by his fellow residents. They were the ones who asked that a memorial be a priority during our organizational workshop in 2003 where family members and friends agreed to take on this important cause. We appointed a memorial committee at that first meeting, a committee still going today. The memorial is not the idea of outsiders, it has been the longtime wish of the residents, many of whom have passed away.

We are doing this in their memory to make sure everyone at Kalaupapa is remembered by name and that their descendants have a place for healing, reconnection and pride.

– Valerie Monson, executive director of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa

3. KNOWLEDGE

You need to understand the various processes facing you and that some of these processes will take a lot of time and patience. Over the past 20 years, Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa has had to get bills approved by both the US Congress (signed by President Obama) and the State Legislature (signed by Governor Ige). Both of those processes took an enormous amount of work.

We have had to get approvals from the State Board of Land and Natural Resources and the State Land Use Commission. We were also required to get both a state and federal Environmental Assessment approved while continuing to raise funds along the way. Our ‘Ohana historian has been working for years on compiling and refining the list of nearly 8,000 names that will be displayed on the Memorial. Each of these steps has taken a great deal of time, preparation, obtaining testimonies of support, attending meetings and follow-up. Some of these steps took years to accomplish.

It’s crucial to find someone who has some experience with state EAs and EIS’ to help you. These processes are just so cumbersome and technical–it’s like learning to use a computer on your own if you’ve grown up with pencil and paper. We were fortunate that a planner offered to do the state EA for us.

4. CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM

One area where Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa has been especially blessed is that we always seem to find the right person at the right time. On this journey, we have met new people along the way who have the exact expertise we need, and who become equally excited when they hear about the Memorial. Along the way, we have had planners, architects, engineers, contractors, historians, cultural specialists and others offer their guidance and services either pro-bono or at reduced rates. In addition, the members of our board have always had an array of talents that we can call upon when needed.

We were fortunate to have two former National Park Superintendents on our Memorial Committee: Henry Law, the first Superintendent of Kalaupapa National Historical Park, and Don Reeser, longtime Superintendent of Haleakala National Park now deceased, whose wife had family at Kalaupapa. They both were essential in helping us understand federal regulations.

The first architect to join us was Don Stastny, a Portland-based architect who helped with the design process of the Flight 93 and Oklahoma City Memorials.

5. OUTREACH

Spreading the word about your project effectively in order to generate enthusiasm in the community should always be a top priority. Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa did this through a number of educational programs about Kalaupapa that we made available to the public and also traveled around the islands to meet people in person. Our programs are about the people of Kalaupapa and their history so all are related to the Memorial.

Equally important: be prepared to constantly bring in volunteers. Over time, even your most dedicated volunteers who have contributed enormously will face family or job commitments, or even burn-out, that will force them to step down. New volunteers with new energy are always needed to keep things rolling. It’s important that you find the right roles for the various volunteers to tap into their strengths and suit the amount of time they are able to contribute, enabling them to enjoy what they are doing.

We are still far from completing this project. In addition to the $5 million appropriated by the State Legislature and signed into law by Governor David Ige, Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa will raise an endowment of $5 million to make sure the Memorial is cared for and maintained. We have already started on this process. And, of course, we still need to actually build the Memorial.

The future Kalaupapa Memorial. Image courtesy of G70.

Interlocking Circles Center the Memorial’s Theme

The centerpiece of the Kalaupapa Memorial will be the display of the names of all the nearly 8,000 men, women and children who were taken from their families and forcibly isolated on the peninsula. Having the names permanently displayed will honor the legacy of the people of Kalaupapa and help ensure that the history of Kalaupapa will be presented in a more accurate and historic way.

The Memorial design features two interlocking circles. The upper circle represents the people who were taken from their families and forcibly isolated on the peninsula. Their names will be engraved on the slabs along the circle’s interior.

The lower circle represents the families who were left behind and their descendants. Where the circles come together — under the lattice structure in the middle — represents what Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa has always envisioned: reuniting the people of Kalaupapa with their families and descendants.

Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa began the design process from the ground up. We brought together the Kalaupapa Memorial Committee with others who we felt would add to the design process and had our first meeting in the OHA Board Room on a Saturday, compliments of Colette Machado, a strong supporter of the Memorial. We began by talking about what we wanted the memorial to represent and the values associated with it. When it came to the design itself, we started out with the basics: would it be designed in a rectangle shape? In waves? In circles? Linear? Other criteria and design elements were discussed at various meetings, including the annual meeting of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa at Kalaupapa.

After six months of meetings, a brainstorming workshop was held at the site of the Memorial where a select group of family members, cultural specialists and professionals came together to envision a design. This is when Hitoshi Hida, an architect with G70, shared his idea of interlocking circles. Everyone in attendance loved the idea and began fleshing it out. Family members were so enthused they built an ‘ahu at what will be the piko of the circles that form the Memorial.

The Memorial will be located on the long-vacant grounds of the Old Baldwin Home across the road from St. Philomena Church (Damien’s Church). This location was chosen because it was the near-unanimous choice of Kalaupapa residents and was decided after public scoping meetings. The State Land Board approved the location in an Environmental Assessment.

The Memorial site is also situated across the road from a field of 2,000 unmarked graves — the names of these individuals will be engraved on the Memorial. In addition, Siloama Church, the first church built at Kalawao, is nearby.  The Most Rev. Larry Silva, Bishop of Honolulu, said the Memorial will “enhance the feeling of sacred space” of the area of historic churches and graves.

The Kalaupapa Memorial will serve as a lasting symbol of justice and a place where descendants can find healing and pride.

“You have to know their names. If you don’t say the names, it’s like something has been lost.”

– The late Bernard K. Punikai`a, champion of justice and founder of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa

 

“When you see all the names on the Memorial, it will be like everyone from Kalawao and Kalaupapa is standing right in front of you. It will bring tears to my eyes.”

– The late Boogie Kahilihiwa, president of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa, 2009-2021

HHF sends a big mahalo to Valerie for sharing her insight and inspiration!

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