Remembering Uncle Boogie
Clarence “Boogie” Kekaula Kahilihiwa, 1941-2021
Talking story with Uncle Boogie in the Kalaupapa National Historical Park bookstore where he worked and shared stories with visitors from around the world. September 2017. Photo by Chase Nuuhiwa.
In 2017, I had the privilege of meeting Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihiwa, aka Uncle Boogie, as an editor for Hele Mai, an inflight magazine for Makani Kai Air. P.J. O’Reilley, who oversaw the company’s marketing, had insisted on an including ongoing article in the magazine focusing on someone who lived or worked in Kalaupapa. All I could see was red tape, but P.J. had the connections and he made it happen like clockwork for every issue.
Uncle Boogie was the first person with Hansen’s Disease whom I had ever interviewed. I was a little nervous because I wanted to inquire with sensitivity and compassion, and didn’t want to overstep my bounds. I expected to hear tragic stories of his childhood especially after learning he had been separated from his family at age 9. But the person whom I met — and everyone else we met there over the years — couldn’t have been more warm and open. Uncle Boogie and others shared stories of sadness, yes, but also stories of compassion, kindness and resilience.
Chase Nuuhiwa (Hele Mai art director and photographer) and I spent less than an hour with Uncle Boogie, but we both experienced his positivity, generosity and inclination toward laughter and some giggles.
“All I can say about Uncle Boogie is that he felt very authentic,” says Chase, “and his character is the essence of what it’s like to be part of Moloka‘i. Genuine.”
Everybody knows everybody in Kalaupapa, and Uncle Boogie was no different. As Chase and I disembarked from the nine-seater airplane to interview him in 2017, we could see him talking with folks in the small, single-room, open-air building that serves as the community’s airport — arrivals, departures and waiting room in one spot. No TSA or other airport formalities here.
With a big, friendly smile and uniquely raspy voice, Uncle Boogie stretched out his hand and said, “Aloha!” He told us he would take us around town then head to the bookstore where he worked. We were squeezed for time with less than an hour or so to interview him — the flights were such that we either had a short stopover or would spend the entire day in Kalaupapa.
On this and subsequent visits to the community, we rarely came across another vehicle on the road other than the one we were in. And on the rare chance that we did, there was always a stop for conversation or a wave. There are no stoplights and no divided lanes; just the small town on a flat peninsula facing the open ocean. Cliffs jut thousands of feet high on the left. Beyond this natural barrier lies what locals call, “Topside” (ie. the rest of Moloka‘i).
After a short tour through town, we reached the Kalaupapa National Historical Park bookstore where Uncle Boogie worked everyday of the week except Sunday. He settled comfortably into his chair behind the register and we talked.
Boogie was diagnosed with Hansen’s Disease in 1950 at the age of 9. He was then separated from his family on the Big Island and admitted to Hale Mohalu hospital located in Pearl City on O‘ahu. At age 18 in 1959, he went to Kalaupapa where he had an older sister and brother both of whom had been diagnosed earlier.
Boogie said there were many difficult times he had experienced — among them, his father’s and a cousin’s passing. He hadn’t been allowed to return home both times because he was a patient.
In 1962, Uncle Boogie had the opportunity to finally leave Kalaupapa. He took it, but then returned and became a permanent resident.
He took a correspondence course and became a mechanic through the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. He then went on to become a plumber and applied for a civil service job. He ran the bookstore where he met visitors from around the world and shared his jovial spirit with each one.
He had also been a member of the Lion’s Club and was president of the non-profit Ka ‘Ohana O Kalaupapa. Many families today aren’t aware they may have had a family member in Kalaupapa; the organization helps to reconnect them. At the time of our interview, the group had collected more than 7,000 names; it’s now reached more than 8,000. Uncle Boogie’s hope was to see the name of every person diagnosed with Hansen’s Disease since 1866 inscribed on the Kalaupapa Memorial.
Rendering of Uncle Boogie by Chase Nuuhiwa.
His wish at the time was for more people to visit Kalaupapa and for it to become a centerpiece of education so that people could hear the stories and history of the isolated peninsula over the span of its 80-year history as a home for patients of Hansen’s Disease. The stories of its residents were first and foremost, as well as the arrival of people of religious backgrounds, among them Saint Damien, Brother Joseph Dutton, Saint Marianne and others.
Asked about what message he wanted to share, Boogie said, “First of all, I thank the people of Hawai‘i for coming to Kalaupapa, and the people of America. Come now while we alive, you know? My message is sometimes you no can rely on books. A lot of us getting older … It doesn’t matter who was here the longest. We try to maka‘ala, be attentive to everything. Make sure we know what’s going on. We watch for each other.”
Time within the quiet of the bookstore had passed quickly, and soon we were in a rush on our way back to the airport.
Along the way, he said that throughout the struggles, he loved the community of Kalaupapa — the place and “all the people.” It was like heaven.
“Are you doing to stay here?” I asked just as we arrived at the airport.
“Yeah, until I die. Until the end, I stay,” he said firmly.
Uncle Boogie passed away on Friday, March 5, 2021, just a month shy of his 80th birthday. With his passing, there are now 11 patients, five of whom remain in Kalaupapa. There has been discussion about the future of the tight-knit community and what role, if any, the National Park Service, will play. There will be many more discussions in the coming years, but hopefully the considerations of those who call Kalaupapa home, are placed first.
This place resonated deeply within Uncle Boogie. If given the opportunity, it will undoubtedly resonate with many more.
Uncle Boogie seeing us off at Kalaupapa Airport. We would see him on subsequent visits throughout the years and he always made it a point to say hello. Photo by Chase Nuuhiwa.