Man says he put human remains atop Mauna Kea
HILO >> A Hilo man who claims to have placed human remains of an ancestor at the site where a gigantic telescope could be built atop Mauna Kea says he wants to show the area should be protected.
Palikapu Dedman, who is facing potential criminal charges, said he placed the remains on a stone altar at the site last September. He said he placed more remains there earlier this month after realizing the first set was missing, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Monday.
“It’s a traditional process,” said Dedman, an activist involved in geothermal and Native Hawaiian issues. “I had a right to do it.”
Dedman said he plans to seek protective status for the altar as a burial site.
He declined to provide details about how he got the remains but said they belong to relatives from his ancestral home of Kau. State law prohibits the excavation or alteration of a burial site.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources has investigated Dedman’s actions and forwarded its findings to the Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for review.
Opponents of the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope proposal, including Dedman, say it will desecrate state land.
Harry Fergerstrom, a participant in the contested case for the telescope’s land use permit, recently submitted a “notice of burial claim” for the site. He said a relative told him there are remains of his ancestors near the access road for the project.
“Burials are another area that needs to be explored,” Fergerstrom said.
The Office of Mauna Kea Management said the mountain has been surveyed for burials and other archaeological features. There are no known burials at the site, located at 13,100 feet above sea level, or at other telescope sites, according to the office.
29 responses to “Man says he put human remains atop Mauna Kea”
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Who forgot to give this guy his monthly envelope?
Don’t you mean his monthly supply of drugs?
Yes. Mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse all too common in the native Hawaiian community. Auwe.
Deadman has been a big troublemaker for many years. This time around he has desecrated not only Mauna Kea but the whole concept of respect for religious beliefs and minority rights. This rockpile is not an ancient “ahu” or altar, but merely a newly-built piece of three-dimensional graffiti. Deadman is marking “his territory” in the same way as a teenager spray-painting a gang symbol on a building, or a dog spraying its scent-mark on a fire hydrant. He is desecrating human bones by using them as pawns on a political chess board.
It is time for legitimate Hawaiians to stand up this time. Too many remained quiet and did not protest the protests until it was too late. Most Hawaiians want the telescope which honors ancient Hawaiin scientific and navigational skills.
In the parsing of our identity, this is a new one: “legitimate Hawaiian”. Thank you to the new comer in our midst to tell us who we are.
I see a T-Shirt in the making…”I’m A Legitimate Hawaiian” on the front side and “Allie Approved” on the back.
E kala mai allie, he aha kou manaʻo? Legitimate Hawaiian? …….. Let us not FORGET the name of the State is Hawaii, Let us not FORGET that the Hawaiians were the first people, Let us no FORGET that the state was stolen (Overthrown is still stealing), Let us not FORGET that the Hawaiians can’t be FORGOTTEN, where would a Hawaiian go to practice their cultural beliefs. Let us not forget the HAOLE WAY in not the RIGHT or ONLY way, The Haole way has destroyed our ʻāina, our culture and our kanaka. The Haole way has created division……. check the history books…… wherever the Europeans Settled there was death and destruction, there was a upheaval and elimination of any native and indigenous life style. So please tell me what a legitimate Hawaiian is? Secondly, learn your history, it is sad for People to use Haole ways to determine our cultural values and history …… remember the word HIS-Story is exactly what it is, a story from another persons view point in which it was never from the eyes of the natives. Your comment only adds to the decades of oppression that has been levied on the Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Indigenous people people around the world. It amazes me how people honor the European explorers for their great discoveries……. Really? The Native people knew who they were and where they were, when people claim to state they found or discovered something it reflects to it being lost….. we were not LOST, the explorers were lost……….it is frustrating to see the hatred and racism still exists today …….. my ancestors should have killed Cook on the first visit #nuffsaid #thisisourʻāina #hawaiilands #Hawaiianhands #stopstealing #stoplying #getoffourʻāina #eo #eo #ekūenakanaka #kūʻe
Mauna Kea does not belong to any race, culture or religion. It is mankind’s inheritance from GOD. The ancient Polynesians and Hawaiians searched the heavens for meaning and knowledge, which enabled them to navigate the oceans. The TMT project continues mankind’s search for knowledge and understanding of the universe. The pursuit of knowledge and understanding distinguishes mankind from the animals, and civilizes societies from more primitive societies. Hawaiian Ali’i, quickly adopted, embraced and valued western technology, science, culture, and religion.
Allie actually dislikes anything Hawaiian while claiming to be a Native American. Who knows what Allie is or how old.
What’s with the pop-up ads? You just raised the subscription rates. Enough already?
I agree the Pop Ups are annoying and it affects the computer screen. This is definitely not a user friendly site and profit generation takes a front seat to quality reporting. Sad this one paper pony town.
What an insulting joke. Are these bones real? Where are they from?
The halloween decorations sale at the KMart closing.
Huli huli chicken bones
“I had a right to do it.”\
and we have a right to put you in jail for this
what a kook – so anyplace he alone decides is in his definition “sacred” – he just moves things there to make it sacred?
maybe he should be in politics….. LOL
I agree, by him moving “ancient” bones from a sacred place to one that was not is really makes him look so desparate and a little loonie tune.
This guy is grasping at straws to get attention.
So – anytime you don’t agree with something, you drop off some human remains and call it a sacred site?!? I’ll remember that next time you want to have an event. I’ll drop of some human remains (my poop) at the site and tell everyone it’s sacred. Then I can tie up your event in court until you get tired or run out of money, which should be some time around the 24th or 25th of each month (before your government check comes in). Budget better Brah!
lol
If this guy pulled such a stunt during King Kamehameha’s time, he would be put to death. Yes, Mauna Kea was a sacred site, but only royalty was allowed to go up the mountain and any commoner who attempted to go up to the top of Mauna Kea would executed. Maybe some commoners where allowed to go up to the top of Mauna Kea but more likely to be used as human sacrifice to appease the gods they worshiped and to further reinforce King Kamehameha’s power as ruler of all Hawaii. King Kamehameha would welcome the 30M telescope because he was smart enough to embrace modern technology that would benefit himself as well as he did embrace western weaponry such as western guns that helped him to conquer and solidify his power as supreme ruler of all of the Hawaiian islands. University of Hawaii lacks the ability to build grassroot support of the Hawaiian and other groups who support the telescope and understand how it will benefit Hawaii and themselves as well. Too bad Inouye isn’t around to take the lead on this. Knowledge is power and King Kamehameha understood this as well.
Well said – you should be a spokesperson as an itellectual moderate for all of these types of conflicts. You are the first voice of reason I have read in these posts instead of nonsense insult. Thank you
Thank you inverse for your words of wisdom.
Well, the problem with lolos like him is that they think that THEY are royalty just because they’re Hawaiian.
Do bones have to be ancient to be sacred? Do burial rights only apply to iwi from generations past? This is an interesting question and I think is smart move by the protectionist. Seems to me that this chess game has alot more pieces to be played by both sides.
I often wonder why people that have so much contempt for their neighbors continue to live with them instead of moving, as if the others are wrong and they are above them and right. Seems to be a pretty sad unhappy life if you ask me. Kinda like the guy on Its a wonderful life.
You gotta give these guys credit for creativity in coming up with stuff to hinder the construction of the new telescope. won’t work though because if he did in fact take human remains up there, he’s broken a bunch of laws that the courts will enforce over the laws protecting ANCIENT burials. Didn’t think of that, huh? Nice try though. I hope his dead relatives don’t haunt him at night for what is actually desecration of their remains in a politically motivated action. But then, he doesn’t believe any of that and is merely misusing laws to honor and protect ANCIENT burials in order to advance his sovereignty beliefs.
The largest number of traditional Hawaiian burials and human remains ever identified in the 20th century are located (were located) in Windward Oahu at Maku Kapu (Mokapu) – the location of the sprawling US Marine base. This is also the location for important creation myths and is truly sacred ground. Why no outrage about this desecration?
“at MOKU KAPU (Mokapu) – the location of the sprawling US Marine base.”
ghoul