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| Molokai Hawaii
by seraphimxx1 at 6/1/2008 12:46:06 PM
Just wanted to share this with you. In the history of Hawaii the common cold & venereal disease were introduced to the Hawaiians as the ships anchored. (Captain Cook days). Thousand died. No cure. No medicinal assistance offered. We were still a territory. Yet the Missionaries were residing here.
I have just returned from a short trip to the Hawaiian island named Molokai. Back in the mid 1800’s the Ma’i Pake (Chinese sickness) were introduced to the Hawaiian islands (Hansen’s disease/Leprosy). The 1st documented case was on the island of Kauai. A woman. It is said two Chinese workers brought over the sickness via by ship. (As did in Europe). Now, this unfamiliar/unknown disease spread like wild fire across the islands. Thousands upon thousands were afflicted yet NO cure was found. Once you showed any signs of the carrying this sickness, you were taken from your families, placed on a ship and sent to Kalawao, Molokai. (Hawaii was still considered to be a territory vs. a state).
The Sandwich Islands.
The patients were literally thrown from the ship. Those who could swim to shore survived, those who were too sick didn’t. Nothing or no one awaited their arrival. (Immune system working against them, open wounds/sores, bleeding & outcaste from the community) They were beached with what they had on their backs; my ancestors then hiked in two valleys and were greeted by the fishing villagers. There is where the first patients lived & died. If you were with child, as soon as the baby was born and showed no signs of leprosy, the child was taken from you & shipped to either family or anyone who would take them. (Imagine that!).
When Father Damien arrived years later – He climbed/hiked up the 1600 foot mountainside to retrieve supplies for the patients. (Wood, clothes, food, water etc..).
My trip’s purpose was to locate my family. Most of the older grave sites have no names/head stones due to erosion, tilde waves etc… I did however after taking the tour visited the Native Hawaiian library and found them in the 1900 census.
Kalawao: Located on Kalauapapa Peninsula at the base of the 1600-foot high sea cliffs, this national park was once the site of total isolation for victims of Hansen's Disease (leprosy). The national park service maintains 8,725 acres of land and 2,000 acres of water extending ¼ mile offshore. The settlements of Kalaupapa and Kalawo, a volcanic crater, rain forest, lava tubes and caves, and the Molokai Lighthouse all lie within the park borders. The park was established in 1980 and is dedicated to preserving the memories of the past so that we might all learn a valuable lesson about ignorance, fear and the humanity of one man, Father Damien. A small community of residents still live in the settlements there. Today the park can only be visited by authorized tour groups such as Damien Tours and the Molokai Mule Ride. Control of public access is under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Health. All visitors must be 16 or older and receive a permit to enter.
Love & Light!
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