Papaloa Cemetery

Papaloa is the main cemetery at Kalaupapa

NPS / Glauco Puig-Santana

Quick Facts

Location:

Kalaupapa National Historical Park

Amenities

1 listed

Parking - Auto

Papaloa is the main cemetery at Kalaupapa. Papaloa (meaning long, flat area) is a compilation of 12 burial areas at the west edge of the peninsula immediately adjacent to the shoreline and beaches. Each area is separated by the religious and cultural affiliations of Kalaupapa's residents. Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, Chinese, Americans of Japanese Ancestry, and Hawaiian sections of the cemetery are clearly delineated by groupings of grave markers with Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, and English inscriptions. In total, there are approximately 1,000 people buried here, which only represents about 15% of all the burials on the Kalaupapa peninsula.

A large number of grave markers and rock walls in the Papaloa Cemetery were destroyed by a tsunami in 1946. In the 1900s, fences were built around the cemetery to prevent cattle from damaging graves.

Today, Papaloa continues to be an active burial ground. Several types of grave markers reveal the changing tastes and styles from the late 19th century to the early 2000s. Many of the more recent graves have draped na lei, plastic flower bunches, and other mementos. For people who had family at Kalaupapa, this cemetery can be a place to reconnect with lost relatives or a place to begin searching for them. Read more about Kalaupapa's cemeteries.