Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 30, Number 6, 1 June 2013 — Ka ʻOhana O Kalaupapa 10th anniversary [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ka ʻOhana O Kalaupapa 10th anniversary

Trustee's note: This month's eolumn is written by Vaīerie Monson, staunch advocate and board member ofKa 'Ohana O Kaīaupapa. Aforgotten ehapterofthehistory of Kalaupapa took plaee on Sept. 11, 1897, when 'AhahuiAloha 'Aina eame to Kalaupapa with the Kū'ē petition against annexation to the United States. By day's end, more than 700 men and women

on the Kalaupapa peninsula had signed the petition, joining 21,000 others across Hawai'i who protested this aehon. So it only seemed appropriate that the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission, chaired by former Gov. John Waihe'e III, would eome to Kalaupapa to give residents the opportunity to sign the Kana'iolowalu petition and register Native Hawaiians to reunify in the self-recognition of the unrelinquished sovereignty of the Hawaiian people. Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa invited the commission to attend its 10th anniversary celebration and annual meeting. "We felt it was important that the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission give our people here the opportunity to sign our names in support of selfrecognition and sovereignty just as 'Ahahui Aloha 'Āina gave ourpeople the opportunity to sign the Kū'ē petition," said Clarence "Boogie" Kahilihiwa, a resident of Kalaupapa for more than 50 years and president of Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa. The 'Ohana was established in the summer of 2003 to honor the value and dignity of all the estimated 8,000 people who were taken from their families and isolated on the Kalaupapa peninsula because of government policies regarding leprosy. The 'Ohana was the idea of the late Kalaupapa leader Bernard Ka'owakaokalani Punikai'a, who wanted to bring together family members and descendants of those sent to Kalaupapa along with longtime friends to support the community and remain involved in the future of Kalaupapa. Waihe'e was welcomed to McVeigh Hall with a maile lei pre-

sented by Pauline Ahulau Chow, 'Ohana vice president. As Waihe'e addressed the crowd of about 50 residents and descendants, he reminisced how his first visit to Kalaupapa eame about through his friendship with Punikai'a. He noted how all Hawaiians probably have a connection to Kalaupapa. "If we Hawaiians look at our family tree, all of us probably have our 'ohana here, our 'ohana who shared the suffering here," said Waihe'e, who also has ances-

tors buried at Kalaupapa. The former governor spoke about the significance of the Kana'iolowalu petition and how it related to the Kū'ē petition. Copies of the 16 pages of the Kū'ē petition signed by the hundreds of people of Kalaupapa were prominently displayed. The 'Ohana thanked University of Hawai'i professor Noenoe Silva for rediscovering the entire petition in Washington, D.C., more than 15 years ago. Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians attending the 'Ohana meeting were given the opportunity to sign. Kalaupapa descendant Moniea K. Bacon of Honolulu signed - just as her greatunele Ambrose Hutchison signed the Kū'ē petition at Kalaupapa. Others with the commission spoke of ancestors at Kalaupapa. Perhaps most impacted was Commissioner Robin Danner. While searching through the list of more than 7,000 names of those sent to Kalaupapa that had been compiled by Ka 'Ohana O Kalaupapa, Danner leamed that her grandfather was among them. That aftemoon, she found his grave, as if drawn by him to the spot, and left Kalaupapa with her life changed - just as many of those 'Ohana descendants had their lives changed when they learned their ancestors were at Kalaupapa. "What an amazing day to have the commissioners here and to help some of them learn about their Kalaupapa 'ohana," said Kahilihiwa. "So many Hawaiians had family at Kalaupapa. We are all 'ohana." If you are searching for an ancestor at Kalaupapa, contact info@kalaupapaohana.org. ■

Cūlette Y. Machade

ChairpErsūn, TrustEE Mūlūka'i and Lāna'i