Letter: Hawaiians always reached for stars

The Thirty Meter Telescope now cleared for construction on Mauna Kea is favored by 3 out of 4 Native Hawaiians. The reasons are several, but one may be that they carry in their blood the nature of one of the most advanced scientific peoples in history. To stop these voyages of discovery among the very stars Hawaiians used to find these islands would be absurd.

Here is a description from Oliver Kuhn, author of “Polynesian Navigation”:

“The ancient Polynesians’ navigational techniques are truly remarkable, and were based on a deep knowledge and understanding of natural phenomena that span the scientific fields of astronomy, meteorology, wave theory, biology and zoology, not to mention the many sophisticated techniques required to build, stock, steer and maintain long-distance ocean-going craft.

“For this I consider them to be one of humanity’s great cultures, and distinct masters of science and technology in their time.”

Walter Wright

Kaneohe

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