Letter: Genuine reconciliation needed for Mauna Kea

The dispute between Native Hawaiians and the state and University of Hawaii should not be reduced to news about police arresting protesters. A genuine reconciliation and renegotiation are sorely needed.

Hawaiians correctly link the problem to the overthrow of their sovereign kingdom and its impact on their people, especially efforts to disconnect them from their lands. They should have full access to Mauna Kea similar to their other access rights, for example, to fishing and harvesting.

Building a 13th telescope on Mauna Kea is a scandalous idea, when at least half of the previous dozen should be decommissioned and dismantled. Native Hawaiians should be able to build a religious shrine on that land and use it, and future decisions should be made with equitable engagement with Native Hawaiians.

Indigenous rights and astronomical knowledge (which their kahuna and navigators studied) should not be portrayed as if they are in opposition to each other.

David Chappell

Kaneohe

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