“E Ho‘ohanohano a E Ho‘omau. . .
. . . To Honor and To Perpetuate”
JANUARY IS Kalaupapa Month “To me, Kalaupapa Month will be a time to think about all our people who were sent here, all that we went through and who we are.” — John Arruda, 97, sent to Kalaupapa in 1945. Mr. Arruda is standing at the grave of his father, John Arruda Sr., who was taken from the family when the younger John was a boy. The elder Arruda died in 1943. Photo: Wayne Levin
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a ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa proposed designating January as Kalaupapa Month annually in Hawaii as a time to remember and honor the people of Kalaupapa and to spotlight their important history. This proposal became a bill that was passed unanimously by the Hawai‘i State Legislature and signed into law by Governor David Ige. To commemorate Kalaupapa Month, Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa — in echoing the words of John Arruda— hopes that family members will remember their ancestors in various ways, that teachers will include Kalaupapa in their classrooms, that church leaders will pay tribute to the people of Kalaupapa in
Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa is a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization dedicated to remembering and honoring each of the nearly 8,000 men, women and children who were taken from their families and sent to the Kalaupapa peninsula because they had been diagnosed with leprosy (now also called Hansen’s disease). Ka ‘Ohana also remembers the kama’aina of the peninsula, the kokua who accompanied their loved ones to
their services and that the general public thinks about the sacrifices made by those sent to Kalaupapa and their families who were left behind. We hope this is a time to not only remember and reflect about Kalaupapa, but to learn more about the history. Read a book about Kalaupapa based on the words of the people, pay attention when Kalaupapa is in the news and learn more on the website of Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa: www.kalaupapaohana.org. Whether its January or any month of the year, always remember the people of Kalaupapa and the lessons they have taught us.
Kalaupapa and the children born there, many of whom were separated from their parents. Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa was founded by Kalaupapa leader Bernard K. Punikai’a and established in 2003 by Kalaupapa residents, family members/descendants and friends of the community.