Why Native Hawaiians Protesting Giant Telescope on Mauna Kea Aren’t Going Anywhere
by NBC Left Field
The Hawaii Island’s Mauna Kea mountain, the most sacred site to Native Hawaiians, is also a prized location to the astronomy community as a home to many powerful observatories. This summer, a community of resistance called Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu formed on the access road that leads to the summit of Mauna Kea, where Native Hawaiian protesters aim to stop the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope or TMT. Protesters say they don’t oppose science and astronomy, but the further desecration of Mauna Kea. As celebrities like Native Hawaiian and “Aquaman” lead Jason Momoa join the ongoing demonstrations, Hawaiians are using the opportunity to ask similar questions to those astronomers hope to answer: Where did we come from? How did we get here?
Tales of Hawai'i 