Newly appointed Kalaupapa Superintendent Steve Prokop announced that the National Park Service (NPS) has obtained funding to initiate one of many intended phases of preservation work on historic grave markers located in over 15 designated cemetery areas scattered across the vast, wind-swept Kalaupapa Peninsula on Moloka`i, according to a news release.

Evolving from a once natural, geographically isolated prison to what today is a quiet refuge, Kalaupapa remains inhabited by former Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients, and continues to be administered as a closed community under the direction of the State of Hawaii Department of Health in an effort to protect the lifestyle and privacy of its aging population.

Today, over 1300 documented cemetery markers are still visible on Kalaupapa's remote landscape, serving as powerful symbols reflective of the residents' life stories of profound sacrifice, struggle, courage and triumph as well as ongoing ties to loved ones, family and friends, past and present, both near and far.

It has been estimated that as many as 8,000 mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, fiancés, husbands and wives were forcibly exiled to Kalaupapa starting in 1866 in an attempt by the Hawaiian monarchy to protect broader society from this seemingly aggressive and rapidly spreading disease. A means of permanently rendering the disease inactive was proving successful by the 1940s, and advancing knowledge within the medical profession also paved the way for repealing the 104-year old forced isolation statute by 1969 because isolation was no longer considered as either a medically or socially appropriate method of treatment for newly diagnosed cases.

Based upon existing lease and cooperative agreements with State of Hawai`i landowners Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), and Kalawao County Administrator DOH, the NPS is authorized to conduct historic preservation activities at Kalaupapa in accordance with its mission as set out in its enabling legislation of 1980 (Public Law 96-565) which is "to preserve and interpret the Kalaupapa settlement for the education and inspiration of future generations to come."

The work planned will focus on roughly 90 historic headstones and/or their pedestals located within the Papaloa Cemetery Area. Especially in consideration of cemetery visitation by the resident community and their sponsored guests, the work will include addressing safety issues resulting from many unstable markers. Leading the project for the park will be five-year resident worker Richard Miller, NPS Historic Structures Preservation Training Center stone mason.

"Certainly we are concerned about the physical care and preservation of the markers, but we are also aware of the sensitivity surrounding the nature of these preservation activities. We are not simply dealing with historic structures that need re-roofing. These cemeteries contain time-honored memorials to loved ones, which makes this project significantly more personal and therefore something in which we must take extra care," shares Jennifer Cerny, Kalaupapa NHP Cultural Anthropologist and Chief of Cultural Resources Management.

During the last scheduled Kalaupapa Community Meeting on April 8, Kalaupapa NHP Museum Technician James Johnson presented the planned cemetery preservation work to local residents stressing that ongoing input from community members is essential, and that park staff will continue to provide the residents with periodic updates. In response to the presentation, Kalaupapa Patient Advisory Council President Gloria Marks stated, "For me, you know, I really appreciate it, you folks thinking about these things. Those grave stones have been damaged by tidal way after tidal wave, and nobody has come to work with the monuments the way you are thinking about doing. So for what you folks are doing, we thank you."

One of the challenges surrounding this project is the fact that without more extensive research, there is currently little information available for easily contacting families on the outside with ties to those who are buried at Kalaupapa, and for whom cemetery markers still remain.

For those families with an interest in this project, please send information and/or inquiries addressed to the following: Cultural Resource Manager, Cultural Resources Management Division, Kalaupapa National Historical Park, P.O. Box 2222, Kalaupapa, HI 96742, ATTN: Cemetery Preservation Project.