MAUNAKEA CITY — To the cheers of Hawaiians from Lihue to Las Vegas, today, Jan. 17, 2021, Maunakea City became a reality.
Today the Hawaiian encampment on the mountain officially became a town.
Former Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim and Gov. Kirk Cauldwell stood at the access road and shook hands with Hawaiian leader, and new mayor, Kahookahi Kanuha. They signed the papers incorporating the tents into a township.
After that, the two mayors, the governor and a kahuna took shovels and dug the first shovelful of dirt for the new venture emerging on the mountain.
Special permits allowed the Hawaiians to begin construction of nine pre-fab homes. The project is centered around the small hill across from the access road. The city hall — called an ahu — is on top of the hill.
It was a long, hard fight to get this far, but the Hawaiians prevailed.
“We wuz going stay on da mountain no mattah what,” a grinning protester told the newspaper. “Look like we won dis time, eh bruddah?”
The battle against the TMT project began well over a decade ago but the protesters, who call themselves protectors of the mountain, held onto their beliefs and in the end, prevailed, showing the power of aloha.
At first the supporters of TMT were optimistic, investing $2 billion in the project, but as 2020 opened, the astronomers realized their cause was beaten. The year brought more protests and interest in TMT began to fizzle, poll numbers for the telescope spiraled almost to zero.
A spokesman for TMT told the media, “We were tired of fighting. It would have been a good thing but we were disturbing an entire culture, it would cause problems for years. We’ll do fine in our new site in the Canary Islands, aloha and good luck to the Hawaiians.”
With the departure of TMT, instead of leaving, thousands more flocked to the mountain. By the summer of 2020 more than 4,000 Hawaiians had set up tents.
It was done so peacefully authorities allowed it to continue. When OHA reimbursed the state for police expenses at the site, people started having a positive view of the effort.
The camp has two country store tents, a clothing store that gives out free clothes, a cafe with free lunches, and a charter school, Kula Aloha. It’s appears to be the solid foundation of a good community starting up.
Establishing a new town, bringing in jobs, schools and more taxes, promises to be vastly more profitable than a telescope project. Experts concluded that building the TMT, with heavy equipment traveling the 6 miles of unpaved gravel road at the top, would be too hazardous and costly. They also worried, because of the sacredness of the site, it would interfere with tours and visitors and decided, in the end, TMT was a liability and scrapped it.
Hawaiians are overjoyed.
At the opening ceremony the former county mayor, governor and new mayor shook hands, as wahine rushed out and put leis around their neck. With hula and a luau they celebrated the birth of the new town.
E komo mai Maunakea City, congratulations and aloha!
Dennis Gregory writes a bimonthly column for West Hawaii Today. His email is makewavess@yahoo.com. His Aloha Show on Hawaii Speaks Out runs at 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday on channel 54, and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.