Three Songs From Kalaupapa

In 1866, King Kamehameha V established Kalaupapa on the northern coasts of Molokaʻi. To prevent further
decimation of the Hawaiian population, the law entailed that anyone who contracted leprosy were sent to the
colony. The patients that were sent there arrived with merely nothing. After years of development, the patients
have created their own civilization in exile from the modern world. The incurable illness has sent away thousands
of people to never return.
Three Songs from Kalaupapa tells the story through the perspective of a Nā Kokua. These Nā Kokua were healthy
people that volunteered to assist the patients at Kalaupapa (often times to be close with loved ones). During the
historic time of crisis, many native Hawaiians endured the dilemma between protestant religions and native cultural
beliefs. Many natives converted believing that protestant religions would save them. As the protagonists stays at
Kalaupapa, she begins developing symptoms of leprosy and eventually falls into a crisis.
The piece is structured in three movements that tells the story of the protagonist. The first movement takes place
during the protagonists’ enthused arrival to Kalaupapa. The following movement occurs during a church service
where she discovers her symptoms of leprosy. In the midst of worship, she begins to drift away in her thoughts
where she is overwhelmed. The last movement takes place in the protagonists’ death bed where she reflects on her
life and struggles in Kalaupapa. Edgar Allen Poe’s Dreamland creates a perfect landscape of the protagonist’s
anxieties and fears that roamed her mind. Enduring her struggles, she eventually passes away peacefully.
This piece is dedicated to honor the patients that have passed away as well as the survivors. I also hold much of my
gratitude towards Cheyenne Bajo who has taught me so much about Kalaupapa. While talking with her, it’s evident
that Kalaupapa holds such a strong place in her heart.