Mauna Kea is indeed sacred!

For hundreds of years, the indigenous people of these Hawaiian islands have always held a deep reverence for each and every mountain peak. Today, I feel deeply compelled to remind everyone that it is the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) that remains a matter of contention, never Mauna Kea.

While its summit rises 13,796 feet above sea level, its dry prominence measures 33,500 feet, making it the world’s tallest mountain — taller than Mount Everest at 29,029 feet in the Himalayas.

The highest peak on Mauna Kea preserves the antiquity of Hawaiian aristocracy in the lineage of Kukahauula and his wife, Lilinoe, whose physical remains were laid to rest on the mountain.

As a burial site of our early chiefs, the proliferation of telescopes on the summit of Mauna Kea are acts of repeated desecration that must NOT continue.

Although the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ notice to proceed with the TMT project was disheartening, I commend the peaceful response of those who have chosen to protect Mauna Kea. May their example be a great encouragement for all.

Our love for this land and our sense of civic responsibility can and has saved an island. I am reminded of the struggles for Kaho‘olawe, which shall remain a great testament to the resilient and steadfast efforts that ended the United States government’s military desecration on Kaho‘olawe — a bittersweet victory and example of what can be accomplished today on Mauna Kea.

Notwithstanding its historical significance, the executive building of the Territory of Hawaii was once slated to be demolished to make way for a parking lot for the state of Hawaii’s new Capitol building. My mother, Princess Lydia Lili‘uokalani Kawananakoa, and Gov. John A. Burns came to an understanding and, after several years, the restoration efforts of many dedicated volunteers have given Hawaii our Iolani Palace, which stands today as a world-renowned building and fully accredited historical museum. Our greatest accomplishments are indeed attained after our greatest struggles.

As the eldest granddaughter of Prince David Laamea Kaluaonalani Piikoi, surnamed Kawananakoa, I affirm, as a matter of royal obligation, the sanctity of Mauna Kea as the final resting place of my grandfather’s chiefly ancestors, Kukahauula and Lilinoe.

My many years have afforded me a unique perspective and Mauna Kea shall forever remain an endearment to me. I fully support those who strive to protect its sanctity.

Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kawananakoa is a Campbell Estate heiress and a descendent of the Hawaiian kingdom’s House of Kawananakoa.