We are Mauna Kea

UNLV Scarlet & Gray Free Press. Published Sept. 1, 2019.

Arms crossed and expressions stern, a wall of police officers armed and dressed in bulletproof vests stand before a collection Native Hawaiian people on the verge of crying. As conch shells resonate through the wind and ballads fill the empty air, elders are arrested for peacefully protecting the road towards the summit of Mauna Kea. One by one, with zip ties wrapped around their wrists, they call out words of hope and encouragement for everybody willing to listen.

Atop a dormant volcano known as Mauna Kea, a protest that started with only a few hundred people in July has grown into a few thousand. Located on the Big Island of Hawaii, protesters are fighting to halt the construction of an 18-story observatory called the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT). While astronomers believe the mountain is the ideal site to place the proposed observatory, many Native Hawaiians argue that such a building means the desecration of their sacred land.

Talk of the TMT on Mauna Kea isn’t new. Astronomers have had their hearts set on the mountain since 2009, convinced it is the best location to explore deeper into space than ever before. Because the Hawaii state Governor David Ige allowed construction to commence this past summer, backlash has reached an all-time high.

For Native Hawaiians, Mauna Kea serves as the epicenter for numerous fables and traditions–from stories defining Hawaii’s birth to tales highlighting different gods. This mountain is a place of prayer and worship as well as a home to shrines and burial sites for beloved ancestors. However, this battle for the mountain is about more than just preserving culture. To many, reclaiming Mauna Kea represents a long-awaited win against colonialism.

The history of Hawaii is nothing short of bleak. From blackmailing their last leader, Queen Lili’uokalani, into surrender to murdering their people for speaking their own language, the United States government has never failed to step all over the Native Hawaiian people. Those who defend Mauna Kea are not only protecting their dignity but also their right to indulge in their heritage.

Despite their opposition towards the TMT, the Indigenous people of Hawaii are not against science. In fact, astronomy has been a vital tool across Polynesian cultures for centuries. However, with thirteen different observatories already stamped across Mauna Kea since the 1960s, many have decided there is only so much land that they can give up.

What a number of people in support of the observatory fail to realize is that Hawaii’s dormant volcano is not the only option for the TMT. Astronomers already have a backup site located on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma that does not hold the same cultural significance as Mauna Kea.

Not to mention, La Palma is just as capable of capturing the game-changing images of space that scientists dream of. Although projects on the Spanish island may not render as quickly, it is a necessary compromise in order to respect the people of Hawaii.

While the TMT has different options, the Native Hawaiian people only have one Mauna Kea. For generations, the government has prioritized their own agenda over the interests of the lives affected the most The time has come to stop sweeping the voices of Indigenous people under the rug and pay them the respect they deserve. Let’s learn to value the people we live with before we even think of looking for life beyond the stars.

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