Hawai’i
is the latest battle ground between these forces. On one side, the ancient folk traditions of
the native Hawaiians:
The
current unrest dates back to 2014, when construction on the telescope first
began. A protest at the groundbreaking ceremony attracted the attention of celebrities such as
the actor Jason Momoa, who is part Hawaiian. In 2015, construction was
halted by the Hawaii governor, David Ige, following the arrest of 31
protesters. Then in 2018, the state’s supreme court ruled the construction
legal, and Ige has said he supports building the telescope.
On
Monday, as many as 500 protesters gathered at the base of the road leading up
Mauna Kea in an attempt to block construction vehicles heading up the mountain
to begin work. In the early morning hours while the sky was still dark, eight
protesters dressed in winter clothes locked themselves to a cattle guard that
crosses the road, preventing vehicles from moving past.
“Our
goal is to protect Mauna Kea,” said Kahoʻokahi
Kanuha, an organizer from the Hawaiʻi
Unity and Liberation Institute (Huli), a group that opposes construction on
Mauna Kea, who was reached by phone at the protest site. “What that means is
that we do not allow the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope for that’s
what would desecrate our mountain.”
The Native
Hawaiian-led movement is fighting to protect spiritual and environmental
aspects of the sacred mountain. Mauna Kea is associated with Wākea, the sky
father, who partnered with Papa, the earth mother, to birth Native Hawaiians.
The mountain is home to the endemic wēiku bug and Lake Waiau, an alpine lake
that some Hawaiians visit to offer a newborn’s umbilical cord.
Kanuha mentions that
Mauna Kea is on “crown lands”, which belonged to the Hawaiian kingdom before it
was overthrown in 1893. Many Native Hawaiian organizations argue that these
lands were stolen by the United States and still belong to the Hawaiian people.
“These lands were taken from us, so we have rights to them,” he says “We have a
spiritual connection to them. We have a genealogical connection to them.”
--Michelle Broder Van
Dyke, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/18/hawaii-mauna-key-protest-arrests-observatory
On
the other side, the forces of scientific and economic progress:
FINNERTY: In addition
to the scientific benefits, many policymakers see the astronomy industry as an
opportunity to diversify a local economy that is heavily dependent on tourism
and agriculture, both of which suffered after last year's high-profile volcanic
eruption. Miles Yoshioka is the executive officer of the Hawaii Island Chamber
of Commerce. He says astronomy is a clean industry that provides good jobs for
the community.
MILES YOSHIOKA: And
we hope clear heads will prevail and realize that this is something that will
help the next generations and build up an economy where we can have
higher-paying jobs for our island.
FINNERTY: Yoshioka
says Hawaii's astronomy industry already employs 1,600 people statewide and is
responsible for $170 million in economic activity.
--Ryan Finnerty, https://www.npr.org/2019/07/19/743599260/hawaiian-activists-protest-construction-of-worlds-largest-telescope-in-state
The
condescending tone toward an agricultural way of life is difficult to miss.
May
the forces loyal to tradition win out, through the prayers of the Most Holy
Mother of God, whose miraculous, myrrh-streaming Iveron Icon adorns and blesses
the land of Hawai’i:
--
Holy Ælfred the Great, King of England,
South Patron, pray for us sinners at the Souð, unworthy
though we are!
Anathema to the Union!
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