KILAKILA O HALEAKALA

I was able to take part in an informative lecture today presented by Kiope Raymond representing Kilakila O Haleakala. He shed light on this very controversial topic of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope already in the process of being constructed at the summit of Haleakala.

Interesting enough this project is bringing a mere $300 million into the United States of America and $2 million every year for 10 years into Hawaii's economy. It is also a concern by many who support the avoidance of this project that this 14-storyhigh solar telescope will be consuming huge amounts of energy here on Maui. Causing an even more catastrophic footprint just to maintain ideal temperatures. Other concerns of great magnitude affecting our precious ecosystem are the many pollutants such as mercury and other waste products that come with the use and maintenance of the telescope facilities. This will impact our groundwater and native flora and fauna.

There is also another issue that needs to be addressed and that is the need to leave the landforms unaltered on the mountain peaks. This is connected to the spiritual traditions of the Kanaka Maoli. The destructive effects of the proposed Advanced Technology Solar Telescope on the spiritual practitioners of Native Hawaiians living in Maui. Stop the cultural genocide by the National Science Foundation and UH Institute for Astronomy. Kanaka maoli come to such places to worship and feel close to their ancestors.

Bottom line is that Haleakala is SACRED, it is a place of MANA. Haleakala was used in cultural practices by a chosen few. It was not some where that you could just decide " I feel like going to Haleakala today", you needed to not only ask permission from your kupuna, but you needed to have a specific purpose and there was proper protocol to follow. It was reserved for the Kahuna Pule the top teachers of their time. Preservation of this very important cultural site needs to be done now for the protection of the next generations to come.

"Food for Thought"

The telescopes of Haleakala's 'Science City'(more properly described as the Ahupua'a of Papa'anui in the district,or moku of Honua'ula) sit on ceded land. These are lands that belong to the Hawaiian Kingdom and were 'ceded' to the U.S. government with the 1898 annexation. Most of the 1.8 million acres of' ceded' lands became 'state lands' when upon Hawaii statehood in 1959. A recent Hawaii Supreme Court ruling decreed that the state had no authority to enter into agreements about the ceded lands with other parties until the land claims of kanaka maoli were settled. The state is appealing this decision.

Ceded lands need to be managed by kanaka maoli. Mountain peaks like Haleakala and Mauna Kea need to be respected as part of the spiritual heritage of all of Hawaii's people, not as a real estate commodity to be leased by state agencies for a dollar a year to military and research facilities whose activities can impact landforms native creatures and the groundwater sources. - KilaKila O Haleakala, www.kilakilahaleakala.org

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