Native Hawaiian consent needed for TMT, Canadian group says

The organization that represents the astronomy community in Canada — one of the Thirty Meter Telescope’s international partners — has declared it cannot support the TMT unless it has the consent of Native Hawaiians.

The position that emerged from the Canadian Astronomical Society’s annual general meeting last week has drawn praise from Native Hawaiian anti-TMT activists and scorn from those on the other side.

“Our position has been consistent, and the statement made at the meeting was intended to clarify and reinforce it,” said Michael Balogh, chairman of a joint TMT advisory committee of the Canadian Astronomical Society and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy.

At the same time, he said, “We are partners in (the TMT International Observatory) and remain excited about the scientific potential and engineering excellence of the TMT. Our statement does not change our commitment to the project.”

Balogh, professor of physics and astronomy at Canada’s University of Waterloo, said the Canadian astronomy community will “continue to respect the processes underway in Hawaii.”

The planned $2.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope is a project of the University of California, Caltech and the science institutions of China, India, Japan and Canada.

In 2015 the Canadian government committed $243.5 million to the project, including the manufacture of the telescope’s dome enclosure.

Construction of the cutting-edge instrument planned for Mauna Kea has been on hold for at least a half-dozen years, thanks in large part to what appears to be a growing group of largely Native Hawaiian protesters who have blocked work vehicles from traveling up the mountain.

Balogh said Canada signed on to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and that requires the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous communities for projects on their traditional territories.

The sentiment is reflected in the society’s Long Range Plan, which was published last month and contains guiding principles for the locating of telescopes and other astronomical structures.

“It is important to us that astronomical facilities are only constructed where they are welcomed by the communities in which they are built,” he said.

Asked for clarity on what kind of consent that would be needed for Canada to reject Mauna Kea altogether, Balogh didn’t offer any concrete examples — only that consent needs to be defined by the Hawaiian community, not Canadians.

“We can’t begin to tell Hawaiians how, or if, to give consent,” he said.

After last week’s astronomy society virtual meeting, University of Toronto astronomer Bryan Gaensler tweeted, “As excited as we are about the scientific potential and engineering excellence of the TMT, we believe that astronomical discovery cannot come at the expense of human rights for the people on whose lands we operate our telescopes — anywhere in the world.”

Anti-TMT protest leader Noe Noe Wong-Wilson said she welcomed the Canadian declaration and is hopeful that it will be embraced by even more telescope partners and the wider astronomical community.

Wong-Wilson said the TMT has been one of the most disruptive and controversial issues in Hawaii for several years.

“Clearly, there is no consent,” she said.

But Samuel Wilder King II, executive director of the pro-TMT group Imua TMT, said the consent requirement represents the imposition of racist neocolonialism on the islands.

The Kingdom of Hawaii never considered race to be a requirement for citizenship, he said. “It’s offensive that someone on the outside would impose this on us.”

King, a Native Hawaiian himself, said the community has already consented to the TMT through the democratic political process.

Asked for comment on the Canadian consent issue, Henry Yang, chairman of the TMT International Observatory board of governors, offered the following statement:

“TIO appreciates the wisdom and vision of our partner communities. We will continue to work respectfully with the Hawaii community to find a path forward that honors the culture, tradition, and environment of Hawaii.”