[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2535-E2536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE INTRODUCTION OF THE KALAUPAPA MEMORIAL ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I am truly honored today to introduce, with my 
colleague, Congressman Neil Abercrombie, the Kalaupapa Memorial Act of 
2005, legislation authorizing the establishment of a memorial at a 
suitable location or locations at Kalawao or Kalaupapa within the 
boundaries of Kalaupapa National Historical Park located on the island 
of Molokai, in my home State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the 
memory of those individuals who were forcibly relocated to the 
Kalaupapa Peninsula from 1866 to 1969.
  Kalaupapa National Historical Park, encompassing most of the isolated 
and haunting Kalaupapa Peninsula and adjacent lands, was established 25 
years ago on December 22, 1980. In advance of celebrating its 25th 
anniversary, our National Park Service is hosting day-long 
commemorative activities today at Kalaupapa, and it is entirely fitting 
that we offer this measure during this time of renewed commemoration.
  Kalaupapa National Historical Park is a very special and beautiful 
park with a rich and tragic history. While the park is widely known for 
the isolation and settlement of Hansen's disease patients from 1866 
until 1969, Native Hawaiians inhabited the Kalaupapa Peninsula for 900 
years prior to being forcibly removed from their homelands between 1865 
and 1895. Surrounded on three sides by ocean and the fourth by steep 
cliffs, Kalaupapa is spectacularly breathtaking and ecologically 
diverse, home to nearly 20 federally listed threatened and endangered 
species of plants and animals. When one visits Kalaupapa today, it is 
like stepping back in time.
  Due to its steep cliffs and isolated geography, the Kalaupapa 
Peninsula was used by the Kingdom of Hawaii, and subsequently the 
Territory and State of Hawaii, as an isolation settlement for 
individuals considered to have Hansen's disease, widely known as 
leprosy, for nearly a century. By law, individuals were forcibly 
separated from their families and isolated at Kalaupapa to ``protect 
the welfare of

[[Page E2536]]

society.'' These isolation laws, dating back to 1865, were not 
abolished until 1969.
  Although the World Health Organization still documents over a million 
registered cases of Hansen's disease worldwide, today it is considered 
one of the least contagious of all communicable diseases due to 
established and successful drug treatments. In Hawaii, those needing 
medical treatment outside of Kalaupapa are able to go to the Hale 
Mohalu wing of Leahi Hospital in Honolulu.
  However, that is now, and the history of Kalaupapa is otherwise. 
Between 1866 and 1896, the first 5,000 individuals were forcibly 
relocated to Kalaupapa, most of whom lived at Kalawao. The second wave 
of patients (approximately 3,000) occurred after 1896 until 1969, when 
most of the community lived on the Kalaupapa side of the peninsula. 
Most of these unfortunate fellow citizens died on the peninsula; while 
many of their final resting places are known and remembered, many are 
not.
  It is right and appropriate that these many lives be remembered, both 
individually and collectively, within the boundaries of the world to 
which they were condemned for life, through maintenance of the park 
itself, the history of the settlement, and an appropriate memorial. Ka 
Ohana O Kaluapapa, a non-profit organization consisting of patient 
residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and their family 
members and friends, was established in August 2003 for just this 
purpose: to promote the value and dignity of the 8,000+ individuals (at 
least 90 percent of who were Native Hawaiian) who were forcibly 
relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula.
  Since its establishment, Ka Ohana O Kalaupapa has sought to honor and 
perpetuate the memory of these 8,000+ individuals through the 
establishment of a memorial at a suitable location or locations at 
Kalawao or Kalaupapa within the boundaries of Kalaupapa National 
Historical Park. I fully support its efforts, which have broad-based 
support from the Kalaupapa Advisory Council and the community.
  The national and international significance of Kalaupapa is the rich 
and tragic history of the lives and memories of those individuals who 
were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula between 1866 and 
1969. It is fitting and appropriate that our nation, through the 
National Park Service, ensure that they are never forgotten through the 
establishment of a memorial.
  I therefore believe that the establishment of a memorial is 
consistent with the basis for the park's establishment. It is timely. 
And it will enhance the purpose of the park, which is to ``preserve and 
interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the education and inspiration of 
present and future generations.''
  I look forward to working with my House colleagues, particularly 
members of the House Resources Committee, the National Park Service, 
and the Hawaii congressional delegation, in passing this legislation.

                          ____________________