User:AzeiahMacapagal/Native Hawaiians

Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) Development on the Mauna Kea
The Mauna a Wakea or Mauna Kea for short, is the highest point in the state of Hawai'i that holds a sacred value to the Kanaka Maoli. It provides spiritual significance as it serves as a bridge between Heaven and Earth as well as representing the home for the Kanaka Maoli diety, Wakea, the father of the sky. The Mauna Kea is one of the most significant religious sites on all of Hawai'i, until the Hawai'i state government allowed the construction of a Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) on June 22, 2019. Since the Mauna Kea's significance geologically wise (being the highest point of all the islands in the world), The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) International Observatory (TIO) wants construction to occur on this landmark because of the dryness of the air making it better for infrared signals to be picked up. In terms of the corporation's private interests, the courts supported the decision of this construction project without the Kanaka maoli approval. Kanaka maoli then went into great lengths to prevent the construction of the TMT by protesting as soon as the October 7, 2014. Road blockages by protestors led to arrests, which sparked outrage. With that, the whole world began to take notice of the true gravity of the situation, which led to global uprise and even celebrities such as Dwayne Johnson and Jason Momoa to take part in the protests. Although there was a surge in support, there were also supporters for the construction of the TMT such as astronomers from the University of California asking other astronomers to support the TMT construction via emails. Despite this divide in communities, the initial construction of the TMT was not able to follow through because of permit violations and not following the due process. Therefore, the Supreme Court of Hawaii deemed it necessary to halt all construction and remove any materials used to build the TMT from Mauna Kea. Afterwards, the corporation in charge of the TMT construction re-applied for a permit, which was then granted. Soon after, on October 30, 2018, the permit was validated and construction would resume under the condition that the construction would take place within two years.