Perspectives on the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope at Maunakea
Over a decade ago, native Hawaiians began protesting the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea on the Island of Hawai‘i, also known as Big Island, but the protests continue in 2025. From its base to the peak, Hawai‘i’s Maunakea is the tallest mountain in the world, said Lihau Thielk from Maui, and for native Hawaiians, it holds significance of being the “piko” or center of Hawai‘i.
Tevita Ka‘ili, a professor in the Faculty of Culture, Language & Performing Arts who has been to Maunakea about three times during the protests, said even though there are many conflicting values contributing to this issue, primarily framing it as science versus indigenous culture, “really muddies the water … because that’s not really what it is.”
He said though people simplify it as being the scientific community against native Hawaiians, there are scientists who support the Maunakea movement, such as those in the field of environmental sciences who are concerned about the impact of telescopes on the land.
Ka‘ili said he believes astronomers “are caught up in the corporate elements [of this] because astronomy is a very expensive kind of science.” Since astronomers depend on large donations for research, he said astronomers might be less concerned with conservation issues.“It’s to do with corporations and money involved in this particular project,” he said.
The tension between wealthy corporations and the native Hawaiian community, who has less economic and political power, is a fight seen among indigenous communities all over the world, said Natali Segovia at the Water Protector Legal Collective, an indigenous-led legal organization. Though being a Quechua woman, an indigenous group of South America, she shared, “We are Maunakea … Protecting the sacred is a vital part of who we are.” She explained because Maunakea touches the sea floor, the “mauna” connects to all of planet Earth. “What Maunakea shows us daily is that all of our struggles are connected.” In 2023, 196 environmental protectors around the world were killed, 43 percent being indigenous, said Segovia. “We have to stand. It’s not an option … This is a fight for all indigenous peoples.”
Even though the term “science” usually makes people think of Western scientific epistemology, Ka‘ili explained science at its core is about using observations of the material world to notice relationships and draw conclusions. “[Indigenous peoples] observed their nature,” he said, one example being “they saw particular stars that were associated with the growth of something.” He further explained, “Western science does that but also indigenous science because it’s important for survival. If you don’t base [decisions] from some sort of empirical observation of the world, you’re not going to survive very long, right?”
Addison Arlint, a junior political science major from Montana, said she thinks indigenous communities from an outsider perspective are often judged as not being modern enough. Outsiders might think indigenous communities should support projects like the TMT to help society move forward, she explained. “It is framed almost one or the other. Culture or modernization,” but she said there are ways for people to not sacrifice their heritage while still promoting modernization.
Maui has telescopes on its mountain, and Thielk said he “was in opposition to that development … What the military has done is literally nothing that benefits anyone.” He explained he is not for or against the Maunakea TMT because he thinks the management of Maunakea’s telescopes compared to those on Maui and the potential benefits of building the TMT make it something worth considering. “When we have an opportunity to be on top, we should seize the moment.”
Great discoveries have been made from Hawaii, including, “galaxies millions of light years away [that] have Hawaiian names. The first black hole ever seen with the naked eye has a Hawaiian name,” he said. “We are losing the opportunity to conquer space.”
However, he said though he and other native Hawaiians are okay with the building of the telescope and he thinks it is an amazing opportunity, “the telescope should not go up. It is the responsibility of the government to respect the will of the people when you have such an overwhelming negative response.” He said even if the majority of native Hawaiians support the telescope, since those against the TMT are the most passionate to the point of returning to protest even after being arrested. “It is irresponsible for the government to prioritize money in a land where we have had to surrender so much,” Thielk said, “ … The people’s voice should come first.”
A supporter of the Maunakea movement, Arlint shared, “I feel like seeing others gain wins show everyone can, especially when it comes from a marginalized and oppressed group.” She said it is important to find things to be inspired by, and Maunakea can be a beautiful example to indigenous communities around the world.