Opinion | Why you should care about what’s happening on Mauna Kea

Kamaile Patton
Junior Peace Studies major

To try and explain the entire history of native Hawaiian from colonialism onward would take much more than 500 words. The short and not-so-sweet story goes like this: the native Hawaiian people make up the indigenous population of the islands, meaning they are of Polynesian origin and have an entire culture of their own. 

They have called the islands their home since around 400 A.D. Hawaii was formerly a sovereign nation until it was overthrown by America in 1893when a coup – led by white American businessmen – locked Queen Lili’uokalani away and forced her to abdicate the throne. This marked the beginning of a never-ending stream of indigenous oppression and the commodification of their culture. The lands were taken out of Hawaiian hands as a result of outsiders moving to the islands and privatizing what rightfully belonged to the indigenous.

This brings me to the current controversy surrounding Mauna Kea. A private company, Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory (TIO), has had the construction for the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in the works since 2009. The bulk of construction was not set to begin until July 15, when a group of native Hawaiians – upwards of 2,000 participants – set up camp to stage a peaceful protest at the base of Mauna Kea. But why do Hawaiians care so much about a mountain? In socio religious context, Mauna Kea is one of the most sacred places in Hawaiian culture and is regarded as the “kino lau,” or physical form of the gods.

Think of it as a sort of earthen temple. In Hawaiian culture, the land is equivalent to life and should be protected at all costs. In a political context, the struggle to keep Hawaiian lands in native hands has been an ongoing battle since colonization and has only gotten worse in recent decades. The privatization of one of Hawaii’s most sacred spaces has been the final straw for many. To make matters worse, there are already 11 operational telescopes on Mauna Kea, constructed with a “just one more, we promise” sentiment. 

A common misconception in all of this is that Hawaiians are anti-science. This is largely not the case. The Hawaiian community supports the progression of science, but supports the preservation and protection of the Mauna more. There are alternate locations for TMT International Observatory to build the telescope. Overall, the fight for Mauna Kea is about “aloha aina,” or love for the land.

So why should you care if you’re not Hawaiian? Not only is the construction in violation of indigenous rights, it is also an environmental pollutant. Regardless of if you are an indigenous person, you should still respect the rights of the people the United States has historically oppressed. If the use of force by government entities against peaceful protesters bothers you, you should also care. 

Dozens of elderly Hawaiians were arrested by over 100 law enforcement officers. The police are calling protectors “dangerous,” despite the strong presence of compassion, “aloha” and the strict no-drugs, alcohol or violence rules enforced at the camp. The construction of TMT on Mauna Kea oppresses the rights of an indigenous culture to its land, veiled in the name of science.