Archeology of Kalaupapa

View Into the Past

History of Habitation

Ho`oniho - Hawaiian 

dry set masonry 

National Park Service

U. S. Department of Interior

Kalaupapa National Historical Park

The diverse archeological landscape of the Kalaupapa peninsula and surrounding 

areas offers important insight into the human story of life on Molokai’s north shore 

in pre-contact, historic, and modern times. While often remembered as a place of 

exile for Hawaiian citizens who contracted Hansen’s Disease, the archeology and 

ethnography of Kalaupapa reveal an earlier occupation of the landform by kama`aina, 

or Native Hawaiians. The role of the peninsula as a place of exile from 1866-1969 

assisted in the preservation of the extensive pre-contact archeological complex. 

People lived on Kalaupapa Peninsula for 

centuries. Radiocarbon dating of charcoal 

deposits within the Kaupikiawa Cave on 

the peninsula indicate Hawaiians were 

present at least 900 years before present. 

Native Hawaiians created land divisions 

called ahupua’a, which stretched from 

mauka (the mountains) to makai (the sea). 

Within each ahupua`a all the resources 

needed to sustain Hawaiian life were 

found. People gathered sea salt and fish 

from tidal areas, conducted agriculture 

in dryland and wet valley areas, obtained 

water from springs and perennial streams, 

and harvested higher elevation hardwood 

forests for wood. 

At Kalaupapa, remains of permanent house 

sites still exist at the base of the pali (cliffs), 

along with lo`i (taro patches), and terracing 

for agriculture. Families built temporary 

fishing shelters along the coastline. On the 

north shore, smooth cobbled canoe ramps 

made it easier to pull canoes up onto land 

and into canoe sheds built along shore . On 

the flat, wind-swept peninsula, low field 

walls remain which once retained water 

and blocked the wind for one particular 

dryland crop – sweet potatoes. 

The peninsula was also well known for 

agriculture. During the California Gold Rush 

of 1849, agriculture intensified throughout 

Hawai`i to provide surplus potatoes, beans, 

onions, and squash for export to California. 

Old Hawaiian nupepa (newspapers) tell of 

the abundance of sweet potatoes being 

shipped from Kalaupapa ports. 

In every niche of the landscape, from the 

Kalaupapa pali (cliff) trail, the valleys and 

plain, and even within Kauhakō Crater 

there remains the distinctive signature of 

early Hawaiian life: dry set masonry. 

Low rock walls extend for miles and miles 

across the windswept and more arid 

sections of the peninsula. Many of these 

walls are thought to have been used as 

property boundaries or as shelter for the 

cultivation of crops, such as sweet potato. 

Larger, more substantial walls were often 

used in the construction of heiau (temples), 

larger houses, and ahupua`a boundaries. 

One wall stretches two miles from the base 

of the cliffs to the tip of the peninsula 

where it joins a ko`a, or fishing shrine. 

Such labor-intensive work is testament 

to the man-power once available on the 

peninsula and also to the overall population 

that supported these workers during such 

large scale projects.

(rev. 04/2014)

Remnants of a fishing shrine adjoin 

an ahupua’a boundary rock wall.

Photo Credit: Ricki Cooke

Photo Credit: Ricki Cooke
Printed on recycled paper 

with soybased inks.

EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICATM www.nps.gov/kala

Layers of History Following establishment of the Kalaupapa 

Peninsula as a place of exile for Hansen’s 

Disease patients in 1866, an exodus took 

place as the original residents of the 

peninsula left to make room for growing 

numbers of patients. As they moved off the 

peninsula, the places kama`aina (Hawaiian 

residents) left behind were reused by the 

patient-residents. 

Some rock walls were reused as property 

boundaries; or the rock was crushed to 

make gravel for roads. Other walls were 

rebuilt by the patients. Artifacts within 

the walls reveal the multiple stories at 

their locations; archeologists often find 

poi pounders, historic bathroom fixtures, 

historic bottles, and gaming stones (ulu 

mica) are found in the same wall. The 

multiple use of features has established an 

interesting layered, or multi-component 

archeology. 

The establishment of Kalaupapa National 

Historical Park was accomplished through 

the effort of patient-residents with the 

goal of preserving the area’s important 

pre-contact and historical resources. 

The National Park Service shares in the 

stewardship of these sites with the Hawaiian 

community. Today, Kalaupapa remains 

one of the richest and least disturbed 

archeological landscapes in Hawai`i. 

Ceremonial Sites, Unique 

Landforms, and Burials 

Throughout the peninsula and surrounding 

valleys, numerous heiau (temples), ranging 

from large public heiau to small family 

shrines, attest to the significance of religion 

and ritual in daily life on the peninsula. 

Kalaehala Heiau at Wai`ale`ia was said to 

be a ho`oului`a (fishing) heiau, dedicated to 

the gods Ku and Hina. Kananuolalo Heiau

at Kalaupapa is believed to be a temple 

for hana aloha, compelling love. 

Kauhakō Crater, located near the center 

of the peninsula, created the peninsula 

over 300,000 years ago. A collapsed lava 

tube stretching onto the peninsula created 

numerous caves which were inhabited. 

Within the crater, a density of enclosures, 

terracing, mounds, and modified outcrops 

are intersected by a paved and lined trail, 

indicating the interior of the crater was 

also utilized for agriculture and habitation. 

A small freshwater lake in the base of the 

crater may have served as a water source. 

On the outside slope of the crater, a holua

slide remains, a stone slide built for the 

recreation of Hawaiian ali`i, or royalty.

The Kuka`iwa`a landshelf contains 

extensive evidence of use and habitation. 

The landshelf features an exposed tip of 

land bearing numerous alignments and a 

ceremonial platform feature, and within 

the dense native coastal forest of lauhala 

and hau archeologists have recorded 

terracing, enclosures, and platforms 

extending up the landform. 

Atop a volcanic hill called Makapulapai 

are 60 impressive stone platform and 

terraces believed to be burials. These 

burial monuments may have been 

constructed in the early 1700s for Ko`olau 

warriors slain during a battle over fishing 

grounds between the Kona and Koolau 

chiefs. A petroglyph remains on the 

boulder which relates to the battle story, 

depicting a human figure holding an adz 

or weapon. Many other burial sites are 

located throughout the peninsula, from 

pre-contact to historic cemeteries. 

The battle of Makapulapai petroglyph 

is one of only two known on the 

entire peninsula. 

Heiaus (temples) dedicated to 

different Hawaiian gods are 

found around the peninsula.