Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain to Hawaiians. Now a dormant volcano, it stands proud in the middle of the Big Island. It is the tallest point on Hawaii, at almost 14000 feet above sea level. It is also, arguably, the best place in the world for stargazing, as is made testament by the 13 telescopes on the mountain's peak. The telescopes are funded by eleven different countries, and observatories such as Keck Observatory are responsible for some of the most comprehensive astronomical discoveries and studies in human history. The observatories atop Mauna Kea are an important issue for contemporary Hawaiians. The people of the Big Island are still very much mystically tied to this land. Many still honor their ancestors and the way they cared for the Hawaiian environment and spiritual realm. However, many modern Hawaiians likewise realize the incredible academic advancements that the observatories provide. They allow us to understand our universe--an academic feat that no one underestimates.
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| View from side of Mauna Kea |
This brings us to the TMT (Thirty Meter Telescope). TMT is a collaboration between 4 governmental research institutions (China, Japan, India, and Canada,) and Caltech here in the US. It is what it sounds like--a telescope that has a mirror 30 meters in diameter (about 98 feet.) This is a ginormous telescope. The observatory will be 18 stories high and go 2 stories beneath ground. It likely will enable us to probe deeper into space with more accuracy than anything we've had before.
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| Protectors hugging in front of Queen Liliuokalani |
Rachel, Tamarah, Erica, and myself stumbled upon this issue on a spontaneous drive up to the information center mid way up the mountain. We happened to arrive on the 200th day of the people's protest against the construction of TMT. Although we had heard about this issue briefly here and there (Mala, the matriarch of the farm, frequents the protests,) we were unfamiliar with the details. We approached the protesters with questions, and were directed to a passionate individual who informed us of the situation from the protestors' view (I regrettably cannot remember his name.) He stressed to us how sacred Mauna Kea is to the people of Hawaii, not only spiritually, but historically, culturally, and ecologically as well. He talked about burial grounds on the summit that are disturbed by the construction of the telescope, and the water reserves under the surface that are contaminated by the observatory's construction and operation.
He also stressed how the protestors (who called themselves "protectors") felt that scientific discovery and exploration was a good thing, but they didn't want it at the further expense of their beloved mountain. They felt that 13 observatories were enough.
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| Protector with her grandchild in front of Queen Liliuokalani |
He was also making claims that not only was the construction of TMT illegal, but so was the construction of 12 of the current telescopes. I want to say here that I haven't found any sources validating this claim; TMT's website states that they have all of the correct permits as required by the state of Hawaii. Anyways, the protestor said that only one observatory was legally supposed to be there, and the others were constructed with the government just turning a blind eye, because of the revenue brought in by the telescopes. TMT itself is projected to cost $1.4 billion dollars. The protestors for a long time were living in tents at the information center, so as to catch bulldozers heading up in the middle of the night to start construction, which they claim has happened several times. About a week before we arrived, the protestors' reached an agreement with the state to take down their tent and no longer sleep at the site as long as the state warns them of when construction is planned to resume again. So far the protestors have been effective in preventing the construction of TMT.
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| Protectors celebrating their 200th day of preventing the construction of TMT |
A portrait of Queen Liliuokalani watches over the scene of protest. She is a common figure amongst Hawaiians, often associated with rebellion, protest, and Hawaiian independence. She was the last ruling monarch of Hawaii, and was deposed during an American coup that led quickly to America's annexation of Hawaii as a territory.
This struggle, in many ways, is one for Hawaiian independence and sovereignty. The people want a say in what happens to their lands. They're not even asking for control, but are just looking for a means to converse with their government about what happens to things they find important. That should be something afforded to them, even simply from the perspective that they're American citizens, and at its core that is what a democracy should be. The issue of TMT on Mauna Kea is a clear example of American hypocrisy: our government is willing to turn a blind eye to the desires of the people in the name of progress.
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| Clouds that surround Mauna Kea |
It is unclear what will happen here. It is tempting to believe that a group of passionate people can cause pause in the giant footsteps of intergovernmental institutional progression. However, the scientific opportunities made possible by TMT are tantalizing...but perhaps they can find some other mountain, not sacred to its people, to put it on. Unfortunately I think we all know what's going to happen. There is too much of a desire for mankind to progress into the stars, and not trivialize over ancient beliefs and burials. In with the new, away with the old (it hurts the soul a little bit, though, doesn't it?) We'll just have to see.
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| The road leading down Mauna Kea |
Sources I used for this post (and some further links in case you're interested in knowing a bit more):
TMT website: http://maunakeaandtmt.org
Protectors' website: http://www.civilbeat.com/connect/mauna-kea/?gclid=CjwKEAjw-vewBRDH1-b52Lig1hkSJACTPfVFEGQcLJb7ckoiYTA6vjv94FFjh3AM_1VKiCdDf2R-8RoCd7bw_wcB
Scientific discoveries made by Keck Observatory: http://www.space.com/20234-keck-observatory-amazing-space-discoveries.html
Significance of Mauna Kea to Hawaiians: http://www.mauna-a-wakea.info/maunakea/F3_culturalland.html
Wikipedia article (yes, I referenced Wikipedia, I'm sorry professors): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea
Article about tent: http://www.usnews.com/news/science/news/articles/2015/09/17/telescope-protesters-agree-to-take-down-tent-on-mauna-kea
Article stating that TMT supports Hawaiian cultural heritage: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-resolve-the-fight-over-telescopes-on-mauna-kea/
Article about Joshua Lanakila Mangauil, a leader in the protest, and his fight: http://www.nature.com/news/the-mountain-top-battle-over-the-thirty-meter-telescope-1.18446
Nice article, thanks for covering the issue. A couple notes to add... There are no burials or other archeological sites on the TMT site. The area has been thoroughly surveyed several times. Indeed, much of the site is solid rock outcropping, no place to hide a burial. As for community input? There were quite a few open meetings on the project, with a great deal of input from the community over the seven years leading up to the project. This was quite mixed, even from the native Hawaiians, with both support and objections. (Yes, I was there at a few). Even OHA originally gave its approval. While the first few telescopes faced little scrutiny, all of the later telescopes have been fully compliant with the law, with an extensive process of approvals prior to construction.
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