Native Hawaiian advisory councils at eight of the University of Hawaii system’s 10 campuses have taken an official stance against the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope atop Mauna Kea.
Hawaii Community College’s Hoolulu Council is among those that signed an April 8 letter to UH President David Lassner and the university Board of Regents petitioning them to stop construction of the telescope indefinitely.
“The reason that we support this is because we support the whole aloha aina movement,” said NoeNoe Wong-Wilson, chairwoman of the Hoolulu Council. “What’s happening on Mauna Kea is just a prime example of the kind of effect that development is having on some of our sacred spaces.”
UH-Hilo’s Hanakahi Council, however, opted out and voted against a system-wide walkout Monday, according to Jerry Chang, director of university relations
The Pukoa Council, composed of representatives from all 10 campuses, said in its letter that its stance is in alignment with UH’s commitment to being a Hawaiian place of learning and the BOR policy on sustainability.
“In order to fulfill that commitment, it is necessary for the university to make decisions that respect and perpetuate Native Hawaiian cultural values,” the letter states. “The University of Hawaii is the steward of Mauna Kea and the construction of the TMT represents extreme disrespect and devaluation of Hawaiians; this is unacceptable.”
Representatives of the UH-Hilo advisory council did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday. In addition to UH-Hilo, Leeward Community College’s Pukoa no Naa Ewa has not signed on in support.
On Monday, a small group of Hawaii Community College students and faculty hosted a solidarity rally at the school. Approximately 30 people attended the event, which coincided with a student walkout and press conference at UH-Manoa.
Wong-Wilson said at the event that she wants to make it perfectly clear the rallies are not against science or astronomy, an accusation TMT opponents have faced in recent weeks. Instead, she said, it’s the location and the number of telescopes that is the issue.
“It’s this one that is the one too many,” she said.
The event at the college drew a number of students, faculty and staff who discussed what they believe is misinformation being spread by TMT and UH, as well as how to move forward together.
Taupouri Tangaro, a professor of Hawaiian Studies at the college, said what happened on the island of Kahoolawe, which for decades was used for live-fire training exercises before being established as a reserve, is a great precedent for strategic action. Sometimes, it takes many years for people to realize and understand the trauma, he said.
“We got Kahoolawe back,” he said. “We can still take care of the top of that mountain.”
The Pukoa Council said Monday’s walkout was supported by various professors, staff and students throughout the university system.
“Mauna Kea is sacred to Native Hawaiians and is part of the corpus of Hawaiian national lands but this is not simply a Native Hawaiian issue,” Candace Fujikane, a professor of English at UH-Manoa, said in a release. “This is an environmental issue, one of upholding legal protections for the environment as well as one of good government. There are three court cases yet to be resolved over the TMT so why is the university beginning construction?”
Responding to comments made by the Pukoa Council in advance of Monday’s walkout, attorney Doug Ing of Watanabe Ing LLC, said he fully expects the appeals court to uphold a previous ruling that TMT is consistent with the purpose of the Conservation District Use Permit at the Mauna Kea Science Reserve.
“Additionally, we are confident that the courts will also rule in favor of TMT in any appeal of the Board of Land and Natural Resources’ consent to the sublease,” he said, speaking on behalf of TMT. “All court decisions made support TMT’s full compliance in order to proceed with construction.”
UH-Hilo will host a special Board of Regents meeting Thursday to discuss the management of Mauna Kea and the Mauna Kea Science Reserve. The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. in UCB 127.
Email Chris D’Angelo at cdangelo@hawaiitribune-herald.com.