Mauna Kea is sacred ground
To understand the importance of Mauna Kea, it is essential to spend silent time there. Until you have felt the mauna and understood the Hawaiians’ deep knowledge of the sacred summit, it is difficult to grasp. Once you feel it, it’s clear, this is sacred ground.
In October, it was reported that a dozen Native Hawaiians protested the Thirty Meter Telescope. Actually, on a Tuesday morning, hundreds of people of virtually every age, race and profession stood for the mauna. Each shared the names of those for whom they stood. There were thousands standing all around the world.
Mauna Kea, Wao Akua, abode of the gods, is known as a sacred temple throughout Polynesia. This is a rare, fragile, alpine conservation zone in the public trust. Mauna Kea is home to rare, endangered species found nowhere else on Earth. It is our aquifer, the main watershed for Hawaii Island, a national landmark, a burial ground for kahuna, and the ring of shrines for families. The purpose of highly protected conservation districts is to preserve our important natural and cultural resources through excellent management and use for long-term sustainability, public health, safety and welfare.
The law states that whatever is disturbed in a conservation zone must be returned to its original state. After more than 5 acres are bulldozed and rammed for a massive 18-story high/wide building and parking lot, that’s impossible. The TMT will have serious, irreversible, adverse effects on the land, the culture, ecology and our watershed. Years and years of massive construction, debris, water use, chemicals and discharge of wastewater pose threats. “Few conservation districts anywhere in the world have been so industrialized with so little knowledge of the ecosystem and how it functions” — from kahua.org and its excellent article on “Hawaii’s Sacred Summits.”
According to the TMT’s own assessment, the local jobs will be primarily janitors, security, groundskeepers, administration and drivers. High-tech construction of the mirrors and structure is being done in Japan, China, India, Canada and California. People who do not currently reside here will fill most of the high-tech positions.
Calley O’Neill
Waimea