Letter: Give Hawaiians land to live on as they choose

Nowhere is Mauna Kea to be found listed as a “sacred” site to Native Hawaiian people.

The protesters (not protectors) on Mauna Kea have little or no interest in the mountain or the Thirty Meter Telescope project. The entire demonstration is about Hawaiian sovereignty.

Conspicuous by his absence at the site is the titular leader of the Nation of Hawaii, the Right Honorable Dennis (Bumpy) Kanahele. If there was real significance to the mountain I suspect he would have made his presence known long ago.

Nonetheless, the state and federal governments should put an end to the ongoing demonstrations by Hawaiians by granting them land, similar to what has been done for the Native American tribes on the mainland.

The Hawaiian people should be entrusted with multiple plots of land within which they can establish their own culture and live their lives as they choose.

The fact that many Hawaiians have applied for “home lands” and been denied or delayed approval for decades is a disgrace.

Ray Downing

Kaneohe

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