ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS
A RESOLUTION
No. 2019 -35
RECOGNIZING KA ‘OHANA O KALAUPAPA’S COMMITMENT TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MEMORIAL AT KALAUPAPA
WHEREAS, Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa, a non-profit Native Hawaiian organization was formed to engage the federal and state government to ensure their voices would be included in determining their fate as long term residents of Kalaupapa; and
WHEREAS, Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa President Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa, and honorary chairpersons Bernard K. Punikai‘a and Ku‘ulei Bell were proud residents of Kalaupapa; and
WHEREAS, Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa is made up of Kalaupapa residents and their families, and the descendants of individuals sent to Kalaupapa dating back to 1866; and
WHEREAS, its membership roster includes individuals that represent agencies involved in preserving the history of Kalaupapa, and friends who are committed to the preservation of Kalaupapa; and
WHEREAS, Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa appreciates and recognizes the importance of the Kama‘āina, Mea Kōkua, and the children that were born in Kalaupapa; and
WHEREAS, at one time, 90 percent of the residents were of Native Hawaiian ancestry and their stories were rightfully established within the history of Kalaupapa; and
WHEREAS, On March 30, 2009, the United States Congress passed the Kalaupapa Memorial Act, which directed the United States Department of the Interior to authorize Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa to establish a memorial remembering individuals that were sent to the peninsula due to the government’s mandate concerning the outbreak of Hansen’s Disease; and
WHEREAS, Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa’s ongoing project and research efforts are to ensure all residents are included in the memorial; and
WHEREAS, of the 8,000 people who lived and died at Kalaupapa, fewer than 1,000 have marked tombstones; and
WHEREAS, the exhibit “A Source of Light, Constant and Never Fading” traveled throughout Hawai‘i since 2012, and was graciously hosted in July 2018 by the Hawaiian Inter- Club Council of Southern California’s Annual Ho‘olaule‘a, and the exhibit received praise and aloha from all who visited it.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 60th Annual Convention in Lahaina, Maui, in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau, this 16th day of November 2019, recognizing Ka ‘Ohana o Kalaupapa’s commitment to the establishment of the memorial at Kalaupapa; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs recognizes the need for Ka ‘Ohana o Kalaupapa’s ongoing research of the history and names of those who remain unidentified in Kalaupapa; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to Valerie Monson, and Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa of Ka ‘Ohana ‘O Kalaupapa, Kohala Hawaiian Civic Club; Chairperson of the State of Hawai‘i Board of Land and Natural Resources, as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.
The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau on the 16th day of November 2019, at the 60th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Lahaina, Maui.
Hailama V. K. K. Farden, President
