On October 30th, the State Supreme Court of Hawai’i approved construction of the world’s largest telescope atop Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the Big Island of Hawai’i. To astronomers, Mauna Kea is the preeminent place on earth for astronomical observation of the universe. But for the Kanaka Maoli, or Native Hawai’ians, Mauna Kea is the meeting place of heaven and earth and one of the most sacred sites in their cosmology. The proposal to build this telescope on the summit has launched a fierce fight over the fate of the mountain. In this in-depth investigative story, staff writer Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder explores the collision of values unfolding on the summit of Mauna Kea and the voices of the people who continue to stand “like the mountain, for the mountain, with the mountain.”
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For an immersive listening experience—including the voices and chants of the Mauna Kea protectors—check out the “Born Was the Mountain” narrated podcast.
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emergencemagazine.org/story/born-was-the-mountain/
Image: Photo of Pua Case chanting on the summit of Mauna Kea. By Kapulei Flores
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