[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 12, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H824-H827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     KALAUPAPA MEMORIAL ACT OF 2008

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3332) to provide for the establishment of a memorial within 
Kalaupapa National Historical Park located on the island of Molokai, in 
the State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the memory of those 
individuals who were forcibly relocated to the Kalaupapa Peninsula from 
1866 to 1969, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3332

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Kalaupapa Memorial Act of 
     2008''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF MEMORIAL WITHIN KALAUPAPA NATIONAL 
                   HISTORICAL PARK.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Interior shall authorize 
     Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, a non-profit organization consisting 
     of patient residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park, 
     and their family members and friends, to establish a memorial 
     at a suitable location or locations approved by the Secretary 
     at Kalawao or Kalaupapa within the boundaries of Kalaupapa 
     National Historical Park located on the island of Molokai, in 
     the State of Hawaii, to honor and perpetuate the memory of 
     those individuals who were forcibly relocated to Kalaupapa 
     Peninsula from 1866 to 1969.
       (b) Design.--
       (1) In general.--The memorial authorized by subsection (a) 
     shall--
       (A) display in an appropriate manner the names of the first 
     5,000 individuals sent to the Kalaupapa Peninsula between 
     1866 and 1896, most of whom lived at Kalawao; and
       (B) display in an appropriate manner the names of the 
     approximately 3,000 individuals who arrived at Kalaupapa in 
     the second part of its history, when most of the community 
     was concentrated on the Kalaupapa side of the peninsula.
       (2) Approval.--The location, size, design, and inscriptions 
     of the memorial authorized

[[Page H825]]

     by subsection (a) shall be subject to the approval of the 
     Secretary of the Interior.
       (c) Funding.--Ka `Ohana O Kalaupapa, a nonprofit 
     organization, shall be solely responsible for acceptance of 
     contributions for and payment of the expenses associated with 
     the establishment of the memorial.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3332 would provide for the 
establishment of a memorial within the boundaries of the Kalaupapa 
National Historic Park on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. It will serve 
as a remembrance of thousands of Hansen's disease patients who were 
forcibly separated from family and friends and interned at this site.
  Beginning in 1866, when the Hawaii Islands were still an independent 
kingdom, and continuing through 1969, residents of the islands who were 
infected with Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy, were isolated 
from the rest of society at the settlement. In all, 8,000 Hansen's 
patients were forcibly relocated to the settlement where they struggled 
to create new lives. The majority succumbed to the disease while living 
there.
  Today, less than 20 percent of the graves and headstones of these 
former patients can be found in the peninsula. The remaining 80 percent 
are forgotten on the landscape. A nonprofit organization made up of 
family and friends of former patients will be responsible for funding 
and constructing the memorial which will contain the names of all 8,000 
patients who were forced to call this settlement their home.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend our colleague, Congresswoman 
Hirono of Hawaii, and her cosponsor, Congressman Abercrombie, also of 
Hawaii, for their efforts to ensure that all families of former 
residents have a fitting commemoration of their deceased loved ones.
  Mr. Speaker, we enthusiastically support H.R. 3332 and urge its 
passage today as a tribute to the present and past Hansen's patients.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3332 and 
yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  The gentleman from Arizona has again adequately explained this 
particular bill, and I would urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Hawaii (Ms. 
Hirono) for as much time as she may consume.
  Ms. HIRONO. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of H.R. 3332.
  Kalaupapa is a 2\1/4\-mile-wide shelf of land jutting out beneath sea 
cliff ranging from 1,600 to 3,000 feet in height on the island of 
Molokai. It is an incredibly beautiful and isolated area with a unique 
history.
  This bill authorizes the establishment of a memorial at Kalaupapa 
National Historical Park in the memory of those who were forcibly 
relocated there because they suffered from or were suspected of having 
Hansen's disease, or leprosy. Once sent to Kalaupapa, most never saw 
their homes or their families again.
  Kahauliko, Loe, Liilii, Puha, Kini, Lono, Waipio, Kainana, Kaumoana, 
Nahuina, Lakapu, and Kepihe. These are the names of the first 12 people 
who were exiled to Kalaupapa on January 6, 1886, 142 years ago.
  This poster is a copy of the Kingdom of Hawaii's register, now at the 
Hawaii State Archives, of those sent to Kalaupapa Peninsula. These 
first 12 were all Native Hawaiians, nine men and three women. From that 
day forward until 1969, approximately 8,000 people living in the Hawaii 
Islands were taken from their families and isolated on Kalaupapa 
Peninsula, first in Kalawao, and later in the town of Kalaupapa. 
Because of society's fear of leprosy, which we now call Hansen's 
disease, food was scarce, and shelter and health care were minimal for 
the new arrivals. The mortality rate for exiles in the first 5 years 
was 46 percent due to the poor conditions.
  ``An Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy'' was first signed into law 
in 1865 by Lot Kamehameha, the King of Hawaii. The act essentially 
criminalized the disease. Children, mothers, and fathers were forcibly 
separated. Children born to parents at Kalaupapa were taken away from 
their mothers and sent to live in orphanages or with other family 
members outside of Kalaupapa.
  The policy was continued in the Republic of Hawaii after Hawaii was 
annexed by the United States and into statehood. Hawaii's isolation 
laws for people with Hansen's disease were not repealed until 1969, 10 
years after statehood, even though medications to control the disease 
have been available since the late 1950s.
  Nearly 6,700 of the approximately 8,000 people who have died at 
Kalaupapa, more than 75 percent, lie in unmarked or unidentifiable 
graves. Their names are known only in the official records, which are 
not easily accessible.
  A memorial listing the names of those who were exiled to Kalaupapa 
and died there is a fitting tribute and is consistent with the purpose 
of the park, to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the 
education and inspiration of present and future generations.
  Many have heard of the sacrifices of Father Damien, who is 
represented by one of Hawaii's two statues in this Capitol, as well as 
those of Mother Marianne Cope and Brother Dutton, who each gave decades 
of their lives to care for the patients at Kalaupapa. Fewer know, 
however, of the courage and sacrifices of the exiles who were torn from 
their families and all they knew to make a life in this isolated area. 
It is important that their lives be remembered.
  The Kalaupapa memorial will bring these people back to their rightful 
places in their family genealogy and history. Many families have gone 
to Kalaupapa to search for the graves of their ancestors; but with only 
1,300 marked graves, most are disappointed.
  In a letter of support for the memorial, David and Chris Mahelona 
explained why they, as Native Hawaiians, feel an urgent need for a 
monument that would list the names of everyone sent to Kalaupapa.
  I quote: ``The naming process and the giving of a Hawaiian name is an 
important and sacred component of traditional Hawaiian culture. It is 
said that names carry significant mana, spiritual power, and they are 
actually a part of the person, just like an arm or leg. In ancient 
Hawaii, a person's name was one of the most precious possessions unique 
to that individual, and most times related to an event, an ancestor, or 
a personality trait. In every case, the kapuna (elders) are always 
consulted. It was the responsibility of the bearer of the name to carry 
its weight. Therefore, it is important to remember these people by 
their names at their final resting place.''
  I would also like to read the testimony that Kuulei Bell, president 
of Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, submitted to Congress. Kuulei, who contracted 
Hansen's disease at age 6, is now 74. And I recently visited her at 
Queens Hospital in Honolulu.
  Kuulei testified: ``We need to remember the people who have dedicated 
their lives and came to Kalaupapa. Father Damien, who we love so much, 
came to take care of all those in Kalaupapa in the 1800s, and he became 
one of us, contracted the disease, and so we know how this is.
  ``And also we know that Mother Marianne gave her aloha and love with 
all the nuns to come and take care of the patients. They need to be 
remembered.
  ``These things are so important, and the monument is a big part of 
our history and our lives.

                              {time}  1445

  ``So please consider what we are asking for is our history and for 
our children to know what happened to many

[[Page H826]]

of our patients. How sad it was for my mother, who had to wait for me 
to go and she could not even touch me because of the disease. And I 
could not even touch my children. These are the things that we should 
consider, how important it is. These are the memories. So please 
consider these things. I say these things from my heart and I hope that 
you hear it.''
  Kuulei ended her testimony thus: ``Thank you for listening to this. 
Aloha and much aloha; much, much mahalo.''
  Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, a nonprofit organization consisting of patient 
residents at Kalaupapa National Historical Park and their family 
members and friends, was established in 2003 to promote the value and 
dignity of the exiles of Kalaupapa and to make certain that the lives 
of these individuals are honored and remembered through establishment 
of a memorial or memorials within the boundaries of the park at Kalawao 
or Kalaupapa.
  I want to thank House Natural Resources Committee Chair Nick Rahall 
and Parks Subcommittee Chair Raul Grijalva for helping to move this 
important bill to the floor, and I also want to thank my cosponsor, 
Congressman Neil Abercrombie, for his strong support and assistance.
  Most of all, I send my heartfelt aloha and mahalo to all the members 
of Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, to all the Kalaupapa patients and their 
families, and most especially to Kuulei on this momentous day.
  I ask all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3332.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I'm once again appreciative of the 
remarks by the gentlewoman from Hawaii, and I'm also appreciative that 
now I know how to say ``Kalaupapa.'' Her staff was very kind enough to 
send over the pronunciation guide, but they didn't put where the accent 
marks should go; so I didn't know where the emphasis was on this 
particular word.
  But with that, I am still very supportive of this particular act.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, at this time let me yield to my good 
friend from American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) such time as he may 
consume.
  (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I fully support the provisions of this 
proposed bill. The bill proposes to establish a memorial to honor the 
memory of all those people who became victims to the dreaded disease of 
leprosy, commonly known as Hansen's disease. I certainly want to 
commend my good friend and colleague the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. 
Hirono) and our colleague Congressman Abercrombie for their 
cosponsorship or sponsorship of this important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I also want to commend the chairman of our committee, 
Chairman Rahall, and our ranking member, Mr. Young, for their support 
and their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor.
  In 1987, I was honored to be asked by the Polynesian Voyaging 
Society, under the leadership of my good friend and brother Nainoa 
Thompson, to serve as a member of the crew of the Hawaiian Polynesian 
voyaging canoe known as the Hokule'a on which we were able to sail from 
the island of Runayto near the island of Tahiti. We sailed to Hawaii by 
means of traditional noninstrument navigation. It took us about 27 days 
when we landed on the big island of Hawaii. From the island of Hawaii, 
we went to Kalaupapa. It's Kalaupapa, located on the northern part of 
the island of Molokai, one of the islands that make up the State of 
Hawaii. This legislation brings back one of the most memorable 
experiences of my life, Mr. Speaker, my visit to Kalaupapa.
  Kalaupapa is not only a national historical park but a place that has 
received international attention on account of the circumstances and 
events surrounding the history of what then took place under the 
sovereign kingdom of Hawaii in the early 1800s. Before the arrival of 
the Europeans, there were some 300,000 Native Hawaiians living on these 
islands. The warrior chief King Kamehameha with some 20,000 warriors 
and some 900 war canoes finally was able to unite these islands under 
one rule after some 2,000 years of conflict among the ruling chiefs of 
these islands.
  What also occurred was the illnesses and the many diseases that 
Europeans brought to these islands, and one of these diseases was 
leprosy, or Hansen's disease. And the unfortunate situation at the 
time, having no knowledge or understanding of how they were going to 
cure it, the Native Hawaiians were not immune to this kind of sickness 
or illness. So the only way to, in any sense, prevent a health hazard 
was to send them to an isolated place where many of these Native 
Hawaiians became subjected to this dreaded disease, leprosy.
  In the process, we also had probably, in my humble opinion, Mr. 
Speaker, one of the great leaders in the world, a Catholic priest 
originally from Belgium, named Father Damien. Father Damien, if there 
is anything that I could ever say the epitome of what the pure love of 
God is, this was one man who voluntarily ministered to these people, 
who lived in this colony or this settlement. It was full of lepers, and 
he voluntarily subjected himself even to this contagious disease, after 
12 years of helping the people who lived there build chapels, build 
schools, and even helped bury those who died as a result of this 
dreaded disease.
  Father Damien, as you know and maybe my colleagues are aware, was 
given as one of the two leaders representing the great State of Hawaii 
right here in Statuary Hall. And the beautiful story about this 
Catholic priest was the fact that he voluntarily gave his life in order 
to serve the people who contracted this dreaded disease leprosy on this 
beautiful area that is called Kalaupapa.
  There was also another gentleman, and it might be as a matter of 
knowledge to my good friend from the State of Utah. At that time, it 
wasn't just people who were forced to have to live in this isolated 
settlement, but it caused so much sorrow and sadness where even those 
who were loved ones, your wives, your husbands, your daughters, your 
sons, and one of these leaders voluntarily went because his wife 
eventually contracted leprosy. His name was Jonathan Napela. He was a 
Native Hawaiian leader and was a high priest and a member of the Church 
of Latter Day Saints, commonly known today as the Mormon Church. And 
because of the love of his wife, he voluntarily went and lived there, 
and he also contracted the disease of leprosy. It was known as the 
program of kokua.
  The interesting thing about Jonathan Napela was that this Native 
Hawaiian was able to translate the Book of Mormon from English into the 
Native Hawaiian language, along with another Mormon elder from Utah by 
the name of George Cannon. Jonathan Napela spent the last years of his 
life in this leper settlement because of the love for his wife, Kitty, 
who also contracted this.
  There was a lot of controversy about the life of Father Damien at the 
time. The relationships between the Protestants and the Catholics were 
not very positive. In fact, according to the records, a minister of the 
Presbyterian Church, Reverend Hyde, castigated and literally criticized 
Father Damien for some of the things that he did. And in response there 
was another noted leader at that time, an author and a Scotsman from 
Scotland, who happens to be Robert Louis Stevenson, who had also 
contracted TB, tuberculosis. And trying to help his health, he spent 
the last 4 years of his life in my islands, the Samoan Islands. And to 
this day, Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is still there. Despite the 
wishes and desires of the Scottish people and the government to return 
his remains, we said no.
  But the point that I wanted to make is that in response to the 
criticism that Father Damien got from his fellow ministers or those men 
of the cloth, I want to share with my colleagues Robert Louis 
Stevenson's response:
  ``When we have failed, and another has succeeded; when we have stood 
by, and another has stepped in; when we sit and grow bulky in our 
charming mansions,'' and he's talking about this minister, now, ``and a 
plain, uncouth peasant steps into the battle, under the eyes of God, 
and succours the afflicted, and consoles the dying, and is himself 
afflicted in his turn, and dies upon the field of honour, the battle 
cannot be retrieved as your unhappy irritation has suggested. It is a 
lost battle, and lost forever.''

[[Page H827]]

  My point of this is, Mr. Speaker, this national historical park 
Kalaupapa, I wish every Member of Congress would go and visit, just 
like my colleague from Hawaii, Congresswoman Hirono. It's one of the 
most beautiful areas and sites that anybody would ever want to see 
north of the island of Molokai.
  I wanted to share this with my colleagues because this Kalaupapa is 
not as unknown as some people may think or believe, and I thank the 
gentlewoman from Hawaii for having this proposed bill, that we should 
build a memorial to the thousands of Native Hawaiians and other races 
who had also contracted this dreaded disease and should be recognized 
for the sacrifices that they have had to make.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my good friend from Arizona 
for giving me time to speak.
  Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the passage of 
H.R. 3332, the Kalaupapa Memorial Act of 2007. This measure would 
authorize Ka Ohana O Kalaupapa to establish a memorial to honor those 
who were forcibly relocated to Kalaupapa.
  Kalaupapa is a National Historical Park located on a remote peninsula 
of northern Molokai. From 1866 through 1969, about 8,000 people 
afflicted with Hansen's disease, previously known as leprosy, were 
relocated to the area now known as Kalaupapa National Historical Park.
  Many of the first settlers faced a harsh and difficult life. But the 
patients who were sent to Kalaupapa eventually built a community that 
allowed them to endure a life cut off from parents, children, brothers, 
sisters and friends. Even after medication was developed to control 
Hansen's disease, many patient residents chose to continue living in 
Kalaupapa.
  The site became a national park in 1980 and is dedicated to 
preserving the memories and lessons of the past. Kalaupapa is a living 
memorial to a community that once lived in extreme isolation. It now 
serves as a place of education, contemplation and quiet beauty. 
Unfortunately, many of the residents who finished their life in 
Kalaupapa do not have recognizable graves or grave markers. The 
memorial established by this bill would serve as a permanent marker and 
reminder of all 8,000 residents who lived on Kalaupapa.
  A little more than 20 patients remain in Kalaupapa. As time passes, 
the number of former residents of Kalaupapa gets smaller, as do the 
number of people who remember this part of Hawaii's history. With each 
passing, the sense of urgency for erecting a memorial becomes more and 
more heightened. We need to pass this bill as soon as possible so that 
this memorial becomes a reality before the passing of the next 
Kalaupapa resident.
  My colleague Representative Mazie Hirono has worked tremendously hard 
to bring this bill to the floor today. I commend her efforts and would 
also like to express my gratitude to Representative Nick Rahall, 
Chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, and Representative Raul 
Grijalva, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests 
and Public Lands. We would not be here today were it not for their 
support and enthusiasm. I wholeheartedly support this bill, am proud to 
be an original cosponsor and ask my colleagues for their support of 
H.R. 3332.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3332, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________