Mauna Kea: Protecting Hawaii's Natural Heritage

Mauna Kea: Protecting Hawaii's Natural Heritage

Mauna A Wakea is a historical and sacred land site for The Hawaiian people. Hawaiian people connect their identity to Mauna Kea and say that’s where they are from. Some people see it as a burial place where they can finally rest in peace. I have gone up to Mauna Kea myself and felt her presence in her earthly place. The cold breeze that touches your skin is a soft embrace that tells you, you are safe to feel free and to let go of whatever troubles you. A place to feel at home when you feel like there is nowhere else. Many people from all around the world come to Mauna Kea and say that this is a place of love and happiness. Though many see Mauna Kea as a place to learn new things about the stars and the universe that we don’t know. 

Mauna A Wakea is the original name of the Mauna. In today’s modern way of speaking, we call it Mauna Kea to shorten it. The Mauna itself has a lot of power and meaning behind it from the start of life basically. Many stories about the Mauna have been told about how it came to be, who lives up there, and many more. Mauna Kea is a place of reverence as well, where many people have been buried or died. 

For a long time, the Mauna has been a place taken advantage of. The telescope has been a great place for many enthusiasts that have wanted to learn more about the stars and get a better look at them. They didn’t foresee the consequences of the telescope on top of the Mauna. For example, many people didn’t realize that there are many iwi kupuna (ancestral bodies) at the summit and alongside Mauna Kea. Many chiefs and other people of other ranks have been buried there for many years because of the importance and the sacredness of the mountain. The construction workers and the state didn’t see that and dug up many bodies and moved them from where they were originally buried to off-site locations, still on the mauna, but 400 meters away from Saddle Road or the road to get up to the summit. Although many did contribute to the building of all those telescopes they didn’t plan for the future consequences that were soon to follow that will end up leading them to push back on many advancements.

Kanaka, or the native people of the land of Hawai’i have seen the changes and have not really taken a liking to what's going on. Over four years ago the elders that stayed upon Mauna Kea at the entrance to Saddle Road and chained themselves to the ground to make sure that no one could get in. Many people saw that and took it to heart to see that the Kupuna or the elderly are still fighting to this day to not have the TMT built on top of the mountain. It brought sorrow and anger to the people of Hawai’i to see that not shortly thereafter that the Kupuna were being arrested and taken to a prison cell overnight. Most of the kupuna walked off sad and walked off with so much emotion as the crowds grew around them. 

In recent months new information came forward about how both the state and the Hawaiian community came to an agreement. A law was passed that the mountain would be given to the scientists, university officials, and the community, to make the final decision on what goes up top of the mountain and what doesn’t. Many Hawaiians were happy about this decision but the scientific department was a little hesitant as they saw this as an obstacle. Although Ali’i was not able to get an interview with Kumu Hina she did play a big role in getting Mauna Kea where it is today. She has been someone to be at every movement and stood up against the police as well. Kumu Hina will be on the panel including a few other Hawaiian enthusiasts and scientists. Kumu Hina is one of the first people that were on the Mauna when everything came down. She also wrote the most famous song for the Hawaiian community Ku Ha’aheo and it talks about how we need to take a stand and rise against the government and tell them enough is enough. She has also given a lot of speeches to the community or local government and told them what she thought and what they should be doing. She has given the Hawaiian people a voice when we couldn’t do it ourselves. 

Although Mauna Kea has gone through a lot over the years, this new panel of people will help to make sure that the Mauna is restored and used for the right reasons. In the new light, there will be peace and no more fighting for a while. The Hawaiian people have finally won justice and are proud to say it loud. For the many years of injustice, this one hits the heart of many people here on the islands that have seen and watched everything since the beginning.