The Patients

 

Row boat carrying new patients and cargo from steamer, "Likelike," to Kalawao shore, ca 1902.

Hawaii State Archives

In Their Own Words

Since the very first patients arrived at Kalaupapa records and their stories have been recorded. This data offers a detailed view into what a life in isolation at Kalaupapa was like. Learn about the patient experience through their own testimonials.

 

David Kupele and two of his mules.

Kalaupapa Historical Society Collection

David Kupele

In an isolated community like Kalaupapa, mail was integral to staying connected to friends, family, and the rest of the world. A patient named David Kupele rode a mule up and down the trail, sometimes three or four times a day, to get mail into the settlement.

 

John Taylor Unea in the schoolhouse.

Kalaupapa Historical Society Collection

John Taylor Unea

John Taylor Unea was a prominent patient and member of Kalaupapa's society. He had several different occupations at Kalaupapa, including store manager, census taker, school teacher, and reporter.

 

Kalaupapa Peninsula and Settlement Circa 1950.

Kalaupapa Historical Society Collection

Patient Interviews

Listen to the life experiences of four patients, Norbert Palea, Clarence “Boogie” Kalihihiwa, Meli Watanuki, and Elroy Makia Malo. These patient interviews first aired in 2009 and highlight different lives in Kalaupapa in the mid to late 1900s.