“One of the world’s largest telescopes is being proposed for the top of Hawai’i’s most sacred mountain, Mauna Kea.”
The beginning line from this beautiful story of why Hawaiians, the residents of these islands, and all those who understand the value of sacred spaces are defending this sacred mountain, and protecting it from an 18-story concrete telescope.
“If you believe something that immense will not create repercussions, I ask you to rethink that deeply…. This time we speak for the mountain, and the mountain says no.”
I myself am not Hawaiian, nor will I ever claim to be. But since learning about it this year, I’ve felt strongly about it and been drawn to the call to make a stand.
From how I see and feel it, the sacred lands of Hawai’i represent all our sacred lands – and more importantly, all that is sacred within us. If we do our research we’ll know that to stand with true science doesn’t mean we have to be on the other side as the Hawaiian people and their Mauna Kea. (READ: Hundreds of Astronomers Denounce Arrest of Native Hawaiians Protesting Thirty Meter Telescope)
For me, denouncing TMT was a very easy call to make because… I just will always be the kind of person who choses spirit and heritage over development that doesn’t mean development FOR ALL . And, now that I’ve gone up Mauna Wakea twice, with my most recent visit being one to stand with the kia’i (protectors) of the mountain – the call isn’t just easy to make. It’s just the right thing to do.
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