7/30/2019 NAISA Statement in Support of Mauna Kea Kiaʻi

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The Council of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association

(NAISA) supports the Kiaʻi/Defenders of Mauna Kea in their historic and
ongoing opposition to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on
Mauna Kea, also known as Mauna a Wākea, in Hawaiʻi. The NAISA
membership consists of scholars and leaders from around the world who are
dedicated to the production and advancement of Indigenous epistemologies,
practices, and knowledge developed through ethical and community-based
research.

Mauna Kea, a spiritual and ecological center for the Kānaka Maoli, is proposed
as the site for the construction of the TMT due to its height and the potential
views it would provide for astronomers. The TMT project is sponsored by the
University of Hawaiʻi, as well as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,
Caltech, the University of California, the National Astronomical Observatory of
Japan, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of
Sciences, the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, the Inter-University Centre for
Astronomy and Astrophysics, the Aryabhatta Research Institute of
Observational Sciences and Canada, and the states of China, India and
Canada. Defenders of Mauna Kea have objected to the construction of the TMT
since it was first proposed, citing harmful effects to the ecology and desecration
of the sacred Mauna a Wakea that figures as a central kupuna (ancestor) in
Kanaka Maoli genealogies. While some have tried to present this conflict as a
conflict between science and culture, we note that, at the time of this writing,
more than 800 astronomers from around the world have signed an open letter
objecting to the methods by which the TMT process has gone forward, and
demanding an end to the arrest of Kiaʻi protectors. Science is a human pursuit,
and must not be used to legitimize poor citizenship in humanity.

The NAISA Council stands with the defenders of Mauna Kea against the

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7/30/2019 NAISA Statement in Support of Mauna Kea Kiaʻi

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desecration of the mountain and violence against Kānaka Maoli. The State of Translate
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Hawaiʻi is violating its own principles "to protect all rights, customarily and
traditionally exercised for subsistence, cultural and religious purposes...of
Native Hawaiians" as stated in its constitution.

As an organization dedicated to Indigenousknowledge and ethics, the Council

objects to the violence and disavowal of Kanaka Maoliepistemologies,
practices, and relationships with Mauna Kea that undergird support for the TMT
project. The Council further objects to the criminalization of peaceful protesters,
who have been arrested and removed from the mountain since construction
was allowed to go forward by the State of Hawai’i beginning on July 17.

The NAISA Council urges its membership to take individual actions to learn
more about the proposed TMT and participate in solidarity actions:

https://www.change.org/p/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-the-immediate-
halt-to-the-construction-of-the-tmt-on-mauna-kea

To donate to direct action organizing on Mauna Kea:

https://org.salsalabs.com/o/2699/donate_page/aloha-aina-support-fund

To donate to the bail fund for those arrested on Mauna Kea:

http://hawaiicommunitybailfund.org/

10 Questions about Mauna Kea whose answers might surprise you:

http://kanaeokana.net/10

https://medium.com/@akkagawa/maunakea-redirecting-the-lens-onto-the-
culture-of-mainstream-science-5d3a5a12376a

On social media, follow the official accounts of the Puʻuhonua o Puʻu Huluhulu
(sanctuary and base camp of the protectors on Mauna Kea):

On the web:https://www.puuhuluhulu.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puuhuluhulu/
On Instagram: @puuhuluhulu (Puuhonua o Puuhuluhulu)
On Twitter: @puuhuluhulu
Also, for livefeed from the Mauna, follow Kanaeokana on Facebook

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7/30/2019 NAISA Statement in Support of Mauna Kea Kiaʻi

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