Hawaiian leader seeks construction pause at sacred summit
University spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said the school welcomes all calls for more dialogue and is actively meeting and addressing the issue at the highest levels.
The governor’s office didn’t immediately comment on the request.
The dispute has pitted Native Hawaiians, who believe the telescope site is sacred because it is where their creation story begins, against scientists, who believe it’s an ideal location for one of the world’s largest telescopes because of its remote and sheltered position, nestled in the crater of a dormant volcano.
About 300 protesters gathered at the mountain Thursday, and police and state law enforcement arrested 20 people who tried to block a road leading to the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big Island. Eleven more were arrested atop the peak, the highest point in the state.
Project opponents question whether land appraisals were done correctly and whether Native Hawaiian groups were consulted, so they have tried to prevent construction of the $1.4 billion Thirty Meter Telescope. Project leaders say they regret the arrests but safe access to the site needs to be preserved.
While the Native Hawaiian groups do not oppose the telescope itself, they disagree with constructing it on Mauna Kea.
“It is the burial grounds of some of our most sacred and revered ancestors,” said Kealoha Pisciotta, a project opponent. “It is a place where we go for sanctuary and release from the world around us, and it is also the home of our god.”
All of the highest points in the islands are considered the home of deities, she said.
The people arrested Thursday were trying to block trucks heading to the peak.
via NorthEast Calling http://ift.tt/1ETEiEB
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