Ku Haaheo a Welo i ka Hae
So about four or five years ago, I was working at the Hawaiian immersion school Kawaikini, and I heard about the thirty meter telescope being built on Mauna Kea. To be honest, I didn't quite get why it was a big deal. There already were a whole bunch of telescopes up there. It had gone through a legal and lengthy approval process, even conscientiously involving "native cultural practitioners", and it had the public support of the office of Hawaiian affairs. It seemed at the time like just another reactive anti-science protest, like the anti ferry, anti GMO, anti-Vaccine, anti sex Ed, anti evolution, and pro hollow earth flare ups that rocked the miniature political landscape on Kauai, and I was tired of alllll of that noise. The school participated in a roadside protest, standing on the side of the road waving Aole TMT and KU Haaheo and Malama I ka Mauna signs. I felt comfortable saying Malama I ka mauna, take care of the mountain, and respect the language and the c