The struggle over Mauna Kea is essential to Hawai'i's growing movement for cultural identity and pride. It is a classic David with his tiny sling-shot versus a well-armed, well-funded mighty giant Goliath. Some Hawaiians and their local allies dare to fight against powerful U.S. governmental agencies and those of eight foreign nations and against powerful scientific and academic institutions with deep pockets, including the University of California, Caltech, the Smithsonian Institute, and the National Science Foundation.
The University of Hawai'i recently circulated a survey that could lead to the restriction of access to the sacred mountain by the public, including Hawaiians. Cultural practitioners and the Sierra Club have objected to the manner in which the survey was developed and its intention. Culturalists are insulted that the University would even consider denying them access to their temple.
Sierra Club activists feel that it is more the observatories and their staff traffic that are damaging the mountain, rather than occasional visits by tourists. The University seems, once again, to be trying to shift the blame from the perpetrators of the damage to the public. The restrictions supported by the Sierra Club "include limits on new telescope construction, stricter enforcement of environmental rules and regulations on observatories, and limiting the number of commercial tours allowed."
The University of Hawai'i recently circulated a survey that could lead to the restriction of access to the sacred mountain by the public, including Hawaiians. Cultural practitioners and the Sierra Club have objected to the manner in which the survey was developed and its intention. Culturalists are insulted that the University would even consider denying them access to their temple.
Sierra Club activists feel that it is more the observatories and their staff traffic that are damaging the mountain, rather than occasional visits by tourists. The University seems, once again, to be trying to shift the blame from the perpetrators of the damage to the public. The restrictions supported by the Sierra Club "include limits on new telescope construction, stricter enforcement of environmental rules and regulations on observatories, and limiting the number of commercial tours allowed."