Voices from Kalaupapa

Davenport uses the foundational background of Kalaupapa to draw us a picture of social context and how it relates to the life of her characters and to Hawaiians as a whole. First it is important to know a bit about Kalaupapa. How did it come to be, who was sent there, why, and what role did it play in Hawaiian society? This was all happening during a time of great turmoil in Hawaiʻi. The massive numbers of those infected prompted immediate action by those in power.

I believe Davenport’s use of the historical suffrage of Kalaupapa parallels the endurance she wishes to portray amongst her characters. I feel that Duke’s exile to Kalaupapa is used to illustrate the depth of Pono’s suffering. Likewise, I fell the Pono’s endless anguish is used as a context to show the anguish of Hawaiians throughout the years. Each stage in this story is set by a historical context. Duke and Pono’s relationship is shown through the tragic story of maʻi pākē (Chinese sickness), or maʻi hoʻokaʻawale (family separating sickness). Whatever its name, its tragic history is undeniable. It was a devastating time in the islands. So many families were affected and ripped apart. Too many were exiled to Kalaupapa where they lived and died. Yet out of this story we see the inner strength of Pono. Pono is a great Kahuna, she exerts strong feminine energy and has an incredibly rebellious nature. Her exploits set the stage emotionally but are told through this historical lens. It gives us insight into her both emotionally and mentally. First let us set the stage historically with some background on Kalaupapa and leprosy.

Leprosy was extremely devastating to the islands. Cases began to emerge between 1835 and 1845. Although there was no Hawaiian word for leprosy, it became known as maʻi pākē, or Chinese sickness since it was thought to have been brought over by immigrant plantation workers from China. Prevalent during this time was a great influx of immigrants coming to work on the plantations. Many of these immigrants came from countries in which leprosy was common, which only aggravated the already mounting local problem. On January3, 1865, King Kamehameha V enacted a law which “provided for the apprehension and segregation of all people affected with leprosy (Binford 416),” A leprosy settlement was founded on the island of Molokaʻi at Kalaupapa.

All patients suspected of being lepers were sent to a holding area on Oʻahu to be inspected. They were inspected void of any clothes. If indeed found to be lepers, they were immediately sent to the settlement at Kalaupapa. Another name for the disease was maʻi hoʻokaʻawale or separation sickness, because it would cause entire families to be ripped apart, never to see their loved ones again. Sometimes a family member would be allowed to accompany their loved ones as kōkua, or helper. However, children who were unaffiliated were never allowed to accompany a parent. If a child was born in the settlement, they would be taken from the mother and sent away to another island to live.

The Kalawao peninsula was ideally selected for leper quarantine because of its separation from the rest of the island by its sheer mountain cliffs. Patients would be unable to make the treacherous climb to the top, and even if they succeeded, they would be shot on sight. In the early days of the settlement, patients would be brought into the Kalawao side of the peninsula. Often the seas were too rough and the boats were unable to get close enough to the shore. Having almost no shelters or ways to transport goods from the ships, patients would have to carry goods along the rugged terrain of the coastline into the Kalawao settlement (Miller 2013). These were patients in great pain, suffering from this disease, and yet they did whatever they had to in order to survive.

One of the most serious aspects of the disease other than the disease itself, was the social aspect. Leprosy became criminalized in Hawaiʻi. Those who were infected or suspected of having the disease were treated more like criminals than patients. With the passing of the Act to Prevent the Spread of Leprosy in 1865, a portion of land was set aside to quarantine those infected and seclude them away from the general populace. Secondly, the law stated that any person with knowledge of any case of leprosy was mandated to report that case. Third, the law required all police and district justices to arrest and deliver those accused of having the disease to the authorities for medical inspection and transfer to isolation if necessary (Inglis 49-50). Those infected became essentially outcasts of society. It was as if the disease was their fault. We can see this again with how Duke reacts whenever Pono wants to either marry or tell the girls about him. Duke is ashamed of who he is, what he is, his leprosy. The very fact that one could be imprisoned because of a disease is not at all characteristic of how you would ordinarily treat someone suffering an illness.

Patients were exiled to Kalaupapa; this was a life sentence for most. Yet out of this, many patients kept their will for social interaction. They would marry, form families, have children, they petitioned for school teachers, and for supplies for the children (Inglis 59-61). I think this was another important aspect Davenport was trying to convey to us about Kalaupapa as evidence by her section about the V-J Day lūʻau that was celebrated by Duke and his fellow patients. It was a big party and parade with lots of dancing (Davenport 332-334). It was something to take their minds off of the horror they lived with on a daily basis. If we look at Shark Dialogues through this historical lens, we can see commonalities within how it parallels what was happening historically.

In Shark Dialogues, the author begins the character Duke’s story by painting us a picture of what an amazing, smart, worldly, well traveled man he is. Then she begins to show us glimpses into his past and his family’s history of maʻi pākē. A past they have tried to wipe from history because of the social stigma associated with the disease. As Duke is afflicted himself with the disease, we see the torture that Pono is feeling for the man she so deeply loves. They flee into the mountains to escape the bounty hunters sent to take Duke to Kalawao. We can see Pono’s sheer desperation when she begins to rub the pus from Duke’s oozing sores on herself in order to contract the disease. However, Duke is caught and sentenced to Kalaupapa. Pono must live on without him, he will not allow her to come with him as kōkua.

Pono feels that she is still living only for Duke; she is still very anchored to him. I feel that this love for him helps to keep her strong in the face of all she must do. It is as if having this invisible man behind her gives her even more strength. She must raise four children in an ever changing world. Hawaiʻi as she knew it was changing all around her.

Each stage in this book is set by a historical event. As we follow Pono through the years we see her struggle to provide for her children. We also see her withholding her love. We condem her for such things without really understanding the depth of her pain. Pono has suffered so much throughout her life, she is undoubtedly damaged because of it. Duke is physically crippled from his disease, but Pono is emotionally crippled. Pono is always connected to Duke in Kalaupapa. Throughout her journeys in life she still runs to him, she feeds off him.

Duke’s very existence gives her the strength to fight her fights. When Pono is living and working for Mr. Calcados who rapes her, she fights back, begins a revolution among the workers and kills him. She makes a can from his spine, which she still carries with her (Davenport 123-128). When she lives and works in Honolulu, she houses the Filipino workers union members as they meet in secret to discuss work conditions and their own revolution (Davenport 147). Pono is never weak and yet somehow she had always been tied to this man. I feel he was her safety. Each time she drew on his memory to give her a reason to propel her into her next move. She was selfless and yet selfish at the same time. She withheld so much of herself and yet it was all for him.

During Duke’s time at Kalaupapa he experienced many things. He and other patients took many experimental drugs hoping for a cure. They tried many: Chaulmoogra oil and horse toxin injections just to name a few. Each caused horrifically painful side effects: blindness, burning fever, and bodily swelling. Duke’s hands were twisted up like a crab. The author uses extreme detail when describing the lesions, sores and resulting afflictions of the disease that befell upon the patients. The author does not want the story of Kalaupapa to be forgotten; she does not want to gravity of the situation to be minimized. As Duke’s story moves on, she describes how he becomes a broken man, losing thirty pounds, all muscle mass. He is plagued with ulcers, he has lost sensation in one leg and arm. His toes are broken and half gone, he has lesions all over his body and a thickening of his face, what the author calls the lion look. Finally, it is his realization that he would never leave Kalaupapa that gave him the strength to start participating in the reconstruction of the area. He planted gardens, weeded graves and cleared pathways. It helped him to find a sense of spirituality (Davenport 131-136). This is Duke’s development as a character, coming to terms with his own disease. This gives him the opportunity to start living himself; to stop volunteering for all of the experiments that were so detrimental to him, so he could start living.

In my efforts to find the historical accuracy of Davenport’s writings, I found and account of several experiments done in efforts to reproduce the leprosy disease in animals. Experiments were done in order to investigate possible modes of transmission of the disease and prepare vaccines. I was also able to find evidence that Chaulmoogra oil was a semi-effective form of treatment at one time during 1918 to 1921 (Binford 419-420). Many experiments were done, and very few patients ever left Kalaupapa. Those that did were often ridiculed and would return to Kalaupapa, what had now become the only place they felt accepted.

Using a historical setting to illustrate the path of a family was an effective way to give the reader a more firsthand feel for history. I do feel that Davenport’s portrayal of the patients and the experiences at Kalaupapa are accurate as far as I can tell from my research. The history of Kalaupapa is very rich. Leprosy was a devastating disease to many families on many levels, both physically and emotionally. We should never forget.

Works Cited

Binford, C. H. “The History and Study of Leprosy in Hawaii.” Public Health Reports (1896-1970) 51.15 (2015): 415-23. Jstor. Association of Schools of Public Health. Web. 4 Feb. 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4581802.

Davenport, Kiana. Shark Dialogues. New York: Atheneum, 1994. Print.

Inglis, Kerri A. Maʻi Lepera. University of Hawaii Press. 2013. Print.

Miller, Richard, Personal Communication, Novemeber 5, 2013.

United States. National Park Service. “Father Damien.” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 04 Feb. 2015. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. http://www.nps.gov/kala/historyculture/damien.htm.