2016

Editors: John Clark and Linda K. Menton

The Hawaiian Journal of History is an annual journal devoted to original articles on the history of Hawai‘i, Polynesia, and the Pacific area. Each issue includes articles on a variety of subjects; illustrations; book reviews; notes and queries; and a bibliography of recent Hawaiiana titles of historical interest. Individuals may receive the journal by joining the Hawaiian Historical Society.

Front Cover: January 6, 2016 marked the 150th anniversary of the first patients who were sent to Kalaupapa in 1866. In recognition of this historic date, the Journal includes several articles about the settlement and a cover photo of a young patient, Palakiko Kuokala from Laupāhoehoe, Hawai‘i Island. Palakiko was eight years old when he was sent to Kalaupapa on November 1, 1905, he died there on December 3, 1917. Standing alone in this compelling photo, Palakiko speaks to one of the common names that Native Hawaiians had for leprosy, ma‘i ho‘okale ‘ohana, the “family-separating disease.”

The color of this year’s Journal also supports the recognition of this sesquicentennial anniversary. It is the color of the kikania berries that grow on bushes at Kalaupapa. Patients picked the berries and made lei with them for special occasions.