Self-described protectors Lanakila Mangauil and Kahookahi Kanuha explain their reasons for blocking the Thirty Meter Telescope’s construction crews from the Northern Plateau of the Mauna Kea summit.
Video by Lynn Beittel of Visionary Video, story by David Corrigan
MAUNA KEA, Hawaii – As the Mauna Kea Access Road blockade enters a seventh day, those opposed to the Thirty Meter Telescope project are still taking the time to explain their reasons for the action to authorities, visitors, and media.
Big Island Video News has gotten many questions from viewers and visitors concerning the purpose of the blockade. This interview (above) sheds some light on the arguments being made by the protectors, as they call themselves. For the most part, the arguments are unchanged from the concerns raised during the lengthy permitting process. On the same day these interviews were conducted (Tuesday) the University of Hawaii released an update and background statement, refuting some of the positions being taken by the protectors.
The 8 criteria and the conservation district
The primary concerns were explained by Kahookahi Kanuha and Lanakila Mangauil on Tuesday. Both stressed that they are not “anti-science” or even “anti-TMT”, but rather opposed to the observatory being located on the summit of Mauna Kea. They say the rules that govern the permitting process in a conservation district – the “8 criteria” – were not followed by the Board of Land and Natural Resources when they rendered their decision to allow TMT to go forward.
The University says the claim that TMT did not meet the eight criteria for a conservation district use permit is inaccurate. “The Third Circuit Court ruled that TMT did meet the criteria by being consistent with state laws governing the districts, not causing substantial adverse impact to existing natural resources, being compatible with the surrounding area, preserving the existing physical and environmental aspects, not subdividing or increasing the intensity of the land use and not being materially detrimental to the public health, safety and welfare. State regulations specifically identify astronomy as a permitted use in the Maunakea Science Reserve.”
Kanuha, Mangauil and others disagree with UH. They say a conservation district is not supposed to look like a “city” of telescopes, as it does now. They say one more observatory is too much; especially one as big as TMT.
Lawsuits
UH says that over last seven years, “TMT has met all legal requirements in obtaining the necessary permits to build a next generation telescope from the Hawaiʻi Department of Land and Natural Resources and the County of Hawaiʻi, including a sublease from the university.” TMT was granted a motion to proceed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources on March 6.
However, the lawsuits are not entirely settled. The case is in the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the 3rd Circuit Court now, and the “legal questions before the court are whether the TMT has meet all of the legal or regulatory requirements to allow it to be build on Mauna Kea or not,” wrote petitioner Kealoha Pisciotta of the group Mauna Kea Anaina Hou recently. Opponents say the project should not be moving forward until the final court appeal is decided.
Water
Opponents of TMT also raise concern over the water shed. “If you live on Hawaii you need to be familiar with where your water comes from,” said Mangauil. “This mountain is one of the main sources that feed our aquifer. So any contaminant on the mountain will go directly into our aquifers.” It is one of the reasons that the summit realm has been kapu in ancient Hawaiian traditions.
But UH refutes the water claim as another inaccuracy. “Comprehensive research by expert hydrologists confirms that TMT and the existing 13 telescopes pose no such danger,” UH wrote Tuesday. “Furthermore, TMT is designed to be a zero waste discharge facility with all waste securely transported off the summit. There is also very little precipitation above 8,000 feet and the observatories are located well above that at the top of Maunakea at 14,000 feet.”
Religious/cultural
Native Hawaiians have been divided over the detrimental effects the project may or may not have on culture and religion. There is agreement that the summit is sacred. TMT supporters – including Native Hawaiians – have drawn a connection between the ancient Hawaiians understanding of the heavens in wayfinding and early astronomy as a justification. “A sacred science on a sacred summit,” they said during the permitting process. But Mangauil and Kanuha say that idea is a falsehood propagated by developers in the interest of building their observatory.
“We did not need to destroy mountains” to practice astronomy, Kanuha said.
Managuil agreed. “We were protectors of the natural cycles of the world,” he said. “If you made an offer to put this on the top of our most sacred mountain, no… I don’t think (our kupuna) would be for that. They’s say great science, great technology. Wrong place. And that’s what we’re saying.”
Hawaiian Kingdom
There is one more glaring issue brought up by TMT opponents; the political elephant in the room. The Hawaiian Kingdom still exists, they say.
“As many people are finding out, Hawai is under illegal and prolonged occupation by the United States of America,” Kanuha said, “and therefore the state of Hawaii is illegal. So therefore the contracts between the contractors and the state are illegal. Their claim of entitlement to the mountain is based on illegality.”
“These are not only cultural lands,” Kanuha continued, “but these are crown lands. These are lands that were seized by the United States of America after the overthrow. They call them ceded lands. I call them seized lands. These are supposed to be held in trust for the Hawaiian people. And I believe the Hawaiian people have made it clear that they are against this.”
The issue relating to the Hawaiian Kingdom has not been addressed by the university or TMT in recent media releases.
Every country that exists today was overthrown and taken from someone else, it’s just the way of the world.
maybe legally and by a treaty, there is no TREATY with Hawai’i, a Joint Resolution has no effect beyond the borders of the United States… “might does not make it right”
…..Lets ask all of the kindergarten, intermediate and high school students on the Islands who are dreaming of one day being Astronomers and working with the Worlds best Telescopes atop Mauna Kea…..
Let’s ask all on the island of Hawaii, what’s more important, water, or a telescope?
The water is not being threatened by the telescope. If you follow any astronomy news you will find many wonderful things are being discovered and explored via mauna kea. The people i know that have worked up there are more respectful to the land and to the whole Island than 70% of the people i grew up with in South Kona. I’m against the Island being built on too…but how come no one tries to stop shitty big stores like walmart from opening up that subsequently put locals out of business? Why do we need lowes next to home depot!? When was the last time a group of people tried to stop the construction of ANOTHER golf course that sends gallons of posioinus fertilizers into our ocean? I’m happy to see the people coming together to make a difference but, you’re trying to stop the wrong people. They aren’t the bad guys.
So we can expect Putin to give back Crimea and Israel to un-occupy Palestine?
Might may not be right, but it is reality. Even the protesters are exercising their might at this point, by physically blocking construction.
randomq you took the words right out of my mouth! I don’t want to discourage anyone. I am all for the native Hawaiians, but, just look at Palestine, and you will see where legalities will get you.
Everyone forgets that the Hawaiian Royalty didn’t allow commoners to own land but sold vast amounts of Hawaii to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included electricity.
The islands were sold out by Hawaiian Kapuna and that’s a historic fact!
What exactly are “Hawaiian Kapuna?” Learn the words or donʻt use them.
Then who are the bad guys?
Some history:
USAvsUS.info
Most anyone would prefer drinking clean water to telescopes. Most kids would prefer to not grow up sick and dying from toxic Monsanto foods and chemicalized water from TMT. Simple necessities…clean water, air, food.
Mostly the way of US Inc.
USAvsUS.info
huh? Do you even understand what you’re talking about???
…We get more contamination in the water from the activity of Pele than from the Telescopes….Monsanto has been living on Molokai for many many years….
Better yet, why not just start by reading the article. There is very little precipitation above “8 thousand feet”. Hint; that means moisture, rain, snow that can run off and collect for human use.
You are spot on Danielle. No one complains about a new Disney resort on prime beachfront property because they would rather have a waiter job than actually expand the learning curve for future generations. The jobs on Mauna Kea pay very well, so I would rather see construction workers making more so they can go spread it around their home islands. How many Disney workers are making $25-$45 per hour with free room and board????
Fiction as you present it.
Yeah, that’s the problem. Hawaiians aren’t getting good quality water. Maybe they should start protesting by not shopping at Costco, driving gas guzzling SUVs or possibly opposing another skyscraper in Honolulu before they make up stories about water from Mauna Kea. There is one body of water on Mauna Kea and almost zero runoff.
Garbage site. I wish I could get back the five minutes.
Maybe they meant Kupuna(ancestor)? Chill.
Read much. There are other conflicts in the world. Truth.
What’s more important than jobs and money? Betcha can’t answer that question, corporate slave.
Disprove it, corp. lackey
Of course you are in favor of keeping your $25-45 jobs and free rent, free food. At all cost.
You compare nature to man made? Really? Yes, research the devastation Monsanto had done world wide. Eat more GMO’s…it’s working to turn you into a mindless corporation drone.
Then try to disprove the “garbage”. Your entire life was a waste, not just 5 mins.
Who created those conflicts? Know what you’re talking about and stop watching the news cause guess what? it’s not real.
Yes but that doesn’t mean that the people support that. I for one want Palestine to be free…most of the problems in the middle east is because of the U.S. we were lied to so President Bush could go and fight a war that his father didn’t get to finish all in the name of greed. How many American and Iraqi people were killed and lost..and for what so the President can get rights to an oil field and play God.
Hawaii is and still remains under the Hawaiian Kingdom not the State of Hawaii. We were stolen so that a few white plantation owners wouldn’t have to pay double tax.
“We did not need to destroy mountains to practice astronomy”
Can someone please explain to me how putting a telescope on Mauna Kea will “destroy” Mauna Kea?
There are no environmental consequences (the mountain is so high up there is basically no rain, that’s why the TMT will be up there in the first place, and as for flora and fauna, well, I’ve heard the summit of the mountain described as ‘barren as the surface of the Moon’.
Furthermore, the TMT will pay 1 MILLION DOLLARS in rent annually, and most of that money will go towards the ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION of Mauna Kea).
As for cultural objections, I don’t see the problem researching the beginning and fate of the universe, stars and planets like our own and other topics of astronomy and cosmology on Muana Kea when Mauna Kea is considered a place of origins and is important to Hawaiian cosmology. It seems to be complementary “A sacred science on a sacred mountain” as stated in the Article.
In order that Hawaiian astronomy and cosmology can benefit from the telescope, at least 15% of the research time on the TMT should be reserved for Hawaiian universities. In addition, the data from the telescope should be made publicly available so that ordinary Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians can benefit from the TMT. In addition, the astronomers who do research at the TMT should simplify and explain their results to the public, so we can all learn about our place in the universe.
I signed a petition to support the TMT and I see no reason to protest against it. It is a benefit to Hawaii and the world and needs to be built. If I lived in Hawaii I would be protesting against the protestors. There is no reason not to build the TMT.
No one has ever furnished a study that proved that any of the telescopes and the related construction ever affected the potable water source of the island.
You have to prove a claim.
Says the “guest” using technology created by “corporate slaves.”
And how did the Ali’i treat commoners again?
Too many Hawaiians will never oppose anything that gives them more Spam for less money.
Sorry, that was a cheap shot but it hits the mark for a reason.
The very epitome of confirmation bias.
You should be reading the works of Copernicus, Galileo, Hypatia of Alexandria, Al Hazen, and Newton instead.
Furnish even one verifiable, proven, peer reviewed study that has demonstrated that Hawaii’s potable water was ever contaminated by the numerous projects that have occurred at Mauna Kea’s summit.
Good luck.
Nature does make naturally occurring toxins and poisons that are lethal.
Nature just happened in Nepal.
Nature happened to Indonesia and Japan killing more people in minutes, hours, and days that the telescopes could ever even fart at in their most dystopian fantasies.
Nature has killed more people with disease, viruses, and bacteria than anything that humans have done to whack one another with all devices combined.
No single power in history is responsible for causing more death and destruction to humans than nature. In the end, it will be nature that completely annihilates not just humans but all life on Earth – and, eventually, Earth itself.
Your vision of nature is hopelessly romanticized and utterly delusional.
But, yeah, Monsanto really sucks in a lot of ways, so we can agree on at least that.
You need to get familiar with “logical fallacies,” especially since you hang nearly every one of your arguments on them.
And know that if you can’t make a point without making a slew of personal attacks and petty insults you make your arguments look really, really weak.
Keep it on the level, Tilt-Shifter.
And even physically threatening a hapa teenage girl for circulating a petition in support of the TMT who aspires to be an astrophysicist.
According to the protestors you’re only a “real” Hawaiian if you agree with everything they say.
As much as I think Palestine got a raw deal if you had to choose between them and Israel (the only thing resembling a secular democratic state in that region) which would you roll with?
Many people from many places.
You need to get educated – BROADLY.
Start with The Epic of Gilgamesh (not written by haoles).
Then hit the ENTIRE Bible (also not written by haoles).
Wrap your head around The Art of War (yup, you guessed it, not written by haoles).
You gonna blame haoles for Genghis Kahn? For the Rape of Nanking?
And what about the very real possibility that the first inhabitants of the Hawaiian islands may have been from the Marquesas and who were ultimately violently subjugated by invading Tahitians? Are Hawaiians prepared to make reparations to the people of the Marquesas?
Stop making sense, you “dumb haole.”
Gotta love the “bulldoze your own temple” sign.
No one is gonna bulldoze Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea isn’t even a temple to begin with and there is no temple at its summit.
Gross exaggerations make for really bad arguments.
Can’t wait til someone sees the face of Jesus or Bob Marley in the snow up there one day and claims it to be a message from God.