Mailani Neal makes headlines for her online petition in support of the Thirty Meter Telescope project.
by Lynn Beittel
WAIMEA – Mailani Neal is a native Hawaiian who grew up on the Big Island. She is an 18-year old senior at the Hawaii Preparatory Academy in Waimea. She also loves astronomy.
Neal says in 4th grade – the same year she learned about Polynesian voyaging from her science teacher – her family spent Christmas Day and Night on Mauna Kea. She says during the trip, she felt something within her. “I think I might have felt my calling,” Neal said, “to connect being a Hawaiian individual with the scientist within me. It really created motivation of what I want to do with my life.”
As protests over the Thirty Meter Telescope continue on Mauna Kea, Mailani decided that she wanted to do something to support the observatory. She started an online petition called We Support TMT. After five days, it logged over twenty nine hundred signatures from Hawaii, the Mainland and several other countries. Her effort has been reported in local newspapers and state-wide TV news.
“There have been a lot of media coverage of the side opposing the TMT project,” Neal said, “so I wanted to create this petition as a way to bring attention that there is a group of individuals who supports the project.”
Neal says TMT will bring a lot of emphasis to astronomy and other science fields and educational systems on the Big Island. She also believes the project will benefit the economy and provide many jobs. She is currently working on an independent study astronomy project at her school. “For a couple of years I’ve been working on a few projects detecting planets outside of our solar system,” Neal said. “One of the projects I’m working on now is in collaboration with a European space agency to confirm these planet detections.”
Mailani says her family is supportive of her speaking out for her beliefs, but not all of her friends and family agree with her. “Definitely people that I love and care about allot have a different opinion than me, its not like I’m in a feud with them. We’ve been able to talk about it respectfully, and not let it come in the way of our relationships.”
The conversation about the telescope has become very heated on social media, yet this does not seem to faze Neal. “Yes, I’ve definitely seen a bit of negative comments… but I’ve also received lots of support,” she said. “I think it requires bravery for anyone to voice their opinion. And so I highly advocate that everyone takes the time to learn both sides of the story. Form an opinion for yourself and really remain firm in it.”
Neal emphasized the aspect of respect, from both sides of the story. “I dont want this to be fighting,” Neal said. “I want this to be communicating.”
Mailani has interests outside of astronomy. From a young age she has played tennis. On this day she was hitting with her high school tennis team coach. She is so good that next year she will be playing on a college team.
“I’m going to be going to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York,” Neal said, “and I’m planning on majoring in applied physics with a concentration in space science.” She would like to be able to return to follow her career on the island she loves.
Thank you so much, Mailani. I was starting to fear that no Native Hawaiians would be willing to speak up because of intimidation by the religious nuts who think they can tell us what is sacred and what is not. If they are successful in blocking TMT we can say goodbye to one of the best and noblest industries in the state. Already, much damage has been done and astronomers are feeling attacked. If you made a list of 100 things that ARE threatening to Hawaiian cultural survival, I don’t think a telescope on Mauna Kea would be one of them. This is so sad.
Who are these religious nuts you speak of?
So mauna Kea is not sacred to you then?
Wow, religious nuts!?
True words spoken from the rear end of a horses Elemu.
We’ve(Hawaiians) made a list and MAUNA KEA IS on the very top today. majority of hawai’i and non-hawai’i voicing their opinion regarding this is Against the placement of the TMT on MAUNA KEA and the displacement of her summit area and destruction of millions of years of existence and thousands of years of a Host Culture’s PROTOCOL!
I’m proud of this young kanaka for making her stance! But this is nothing more than propaganda and a means of dividing Kanaka. Maka’ala kākou that we don’t fall for it! Aloha always prevails.
In reality the concept of the TMT isn’t the heart of the problem. It is the failure of all the previous occupants that have brought this fight to the attention of so many. The statement “the few have ruin it for all” has never been truer then in this occasion.
The promises made with the previous observatories haven’t been kept or honor. Why would you continue trusting the same people who consistently lie you. Instead of admitting to their short comings, they would rather hid behind this cloak of science vs culture.
Spoken like a typical ignorant protester. You only offer your insults and anger instead of logic and Aloha. You must have missed math class too. You have 51k protesters or so, many of whom are located outside of Hawaii. There are 185k or so Big Islanders and 2.4 million people in the entire State, so “majority” is a pipe dream in your head. Do some math and you will find that you all may be loud and proud but irrational at best.
False statement but what else is new.
The realization that this is not a Hawaiian issue , this is a human issue , a global issue ~ Do your homework on the history of Mauna Kea ~ if you do not believe in sacred things its ok ~ look at the aquafier of Mauna Kea ~ look at how Mauna Kea protects us from storms and lastly but most importantly you need to lean your history of our Hawaiian Islands in regards to the illegal occupation… Go to hawaiiankingdom.org/blog/ educate yourself & everyone who surrounds you… With Kapu Aloha Always Cookie & Norman Gaspar
…Thank you for speaking up for the True Future of Hawaiians….
…I hope you get a chance to Live out Your Dream….Aloha
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”.
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 the 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.
Spoken like a real donkey
Your dad
At the top would be a piece of kukai like you. Not our fault you scared of Aloha. You wouldn’t have to be scared if you didn’t do anything. These opala scared while they trying to claim natural reserve land. Until you can cough up the name of the owner of mauna kea you can save donkey post for some 1 who cares. I trip this idiots even Hate big island video news now haha that’s funny. Hating this news but still commenting. Wouldn’t be that big of a problem if you come with Aloha but na donkeys Goin be donkey for life. Auwe!
The girl in the video can’t even read a script that good. You serious. Kids now? Man you people are more sick then I thought. Haha out of all the politic and donkeys out there so smart they have to use a child that has script issues to back up their cowardly carcas. Who in this world has to think while they speaking something from their heart. She went to elementary school in hawaii. Is she still in 5th grade because she didn’t say nothing about intermediate and high school. Never heard of no neals in Waimea. How come?
How does “Your Dad” have any relevance in these comments whatsoever?
I was in the same room when this video was recorded, and I can tell you that she wasn’t reading anything, and everything you wrote on your comment seems pretty fake to me. She started this petition, there is no need of making conspiracy theories because that’s only a high school student doing something that she thinks is right.
“The girl can’t even read a script that good”??? You mean “well”, right Ida. You see Ida Marie Bermudez Ramey, if you take 8 years to finish high school and you don’t criticize with proper grammar, you really shouldn’t be criticizing anyone at all. You’re just pissed because this girl is going places any you are aren’t. When she is studying astronomy in over the next 6 years, you will be still whining behind the wheel of your school bus, cursing at little kids and hating life. She has goals, ambition and vision; things that you can’t understand, let alone put into a grammatically correct sentence. By the way, Mailani is not in 5th grade. You should know that, because you drive children to school. Ida is exactly the type of person who gives Hawaiians a really bad name. Ignorant as the day is long and no interest in education but yet she attempts to make herself look better by tearing into an optimistic 18 year old. I’ve got your back Mailani.
LOL. Drive carefully Ida Marie Bermudez Ramey. Try not to hurt the school children with your angry rants.
donkey post has been attempting to insult me since day one. She doesn’t like the fact that I am educated, have experience on Mauna Kea and have provided a number of reasons for TMT to be built. I found out that she is really Ida Marie Bermudez Ramey, a 49 year old school bus driver for Losepa Transportation on the Big Island. She spent 8 years in high school(I think that’s a record by the way). I only know this much about her because I was curious after reading the poorly worded posts that are filled with derogatory comments and offer no reasonable or logical opposition points to the discussion. So, there you go. Life is too short to worry about the uneducated hate-filled rants of a high school failure.
Treaty Of donkey aka chin nuts. It don’t even matter what you say because you are hiding and afraid. Everyone knows that it’s your moms name Ida whatevas. Now you know why your name is donkey aka chin nut. Because everything comes out of your computer is crap just like you and your herd. Oh and I’m not angry, I think it’s funny that you have to hide and talk. I could care less about a tmt because just like the other telescopes, you and the rest of the people of the big island has nothing to do with any telescope.
Maybe 40 year old donkeys talk like me but this is hawaii. Haha and we know donkeys live short lives. But the Ida thing is like your panties… blown out of proportion. Loser! Haha you shouldn’t have called us hawaiians uneducated. You talk donkey, you gonna get a donkey answer. What are you doing to help your cause? Hide! You been rude to the lady that wasn’t talking to you so since she’s not gonna give it to you this is what u get… chin nut. Haha you are a moldy gruesome grumpy bafoon that’s mad at hawaiians like you gonna change our history. You crazy talking about racist and hate while I think it’s funny haha. Why am I supposed to hate anyone. You don’t even matter enough to even think about. Haha people know my post is from a hawaiian brada that tame donkeys. With teeth more buck than a dollar. Donkey Marie Ramey da turd. You funny haha
Hear, hear! All the o
The telescope and astronomers are easy and soft targets…you don’t think for a second any of them have the backbone to go blockade Pohakuloa do you? They picked an easy target while the real damaging processes and activities to the mauna continue without pause and are quietly ignored as not to display their true impotence to stop what’s actually damaging the mauna.
What?????
The TMT will not at all affect the aquifer and will have little if any environmental impact, all of which will be more than made up for with the $1 Million that TMT is paying in rent, which will go towards environmental protection of Mauna Kea. Please see my earlier post for more info and see http://www.maunakeaandtmt.org/
If anyone needs education in these matters, its you.
PS: The Hawaiian Kingdom no longer exists.
I don’t know if where you from people talk and look like zombies looking into space. But still looks to me like a may day speach from a third grader. Like I said before what are you doing to help your cause… hide? She started the petition which means you are? You being in the same room sounds? Donkeys with horns is? Hmm