Two tragedies occurred on the Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north shore of the island of Moloka`i; the first was the removal of indigenous people in 1865 and 1895, the second was the forced isolation of sick people to this remote place from 1866 until 1969.

The removal of the original Native Hawaiian inhabitants cut the cultural ties and associations that preceding generations had established with the `aina (land) over 900 years. Thereafter, the establishment of isolation settlements, first at Kalawao and then at Kalaupapa, led to broader dislocations across Hawaiian society as the kingdom, and subsequently, the territory of Hawai`i tried to control Hansen's disease, a much feared illness, by forcibly relocating patients to the isolated peninsula. The impact of both the broken connections with the `aina and of family members "lost" to Kalaupapa are still felt in Hawai`i today.

Kalaupapa National Historical Park, established in 1980, preserves the physical settings for these stories. Within its boundaries are the historic Hansen's disease settlements of Kalaupapa and Kalawao. The community of Kalaupapa, on the leeward side of Kalaupapa Peninsula, is still home for many surviving Hansen's disease patients, whose memories and experiences are cherished. In Kalawao on the windward side of the peninsula are the churches of Siloama, established in 1866, and Saint Philomena, associated with the work of Father Damien (Joseph De Veuster).