Protests in Hawaii led to a halt in the Keck Observatory

The Hawaiian Islands are not only an ideal place to relax, but also one of the best in terms of astronomical observations. There are no large cities and industrial facilities that interfere with the operation of the equipment, as well as in this place a clean and transparent atmosphere. For these reasons, Keka Observatory, located at an altitude of more than 4 kilometers on Mount Mauna Kea, has excellent capabilities. But the enthusiasm of astrophysicists is not shared by the entire local population: some indigenous Hawaiians believe that an extinct volcano is not a suitable place for scientific research. In this regard, disputes over the construction of a new powerful telescope have been ongoing in Hawaii for more than a year, and recent protests even ended in the arrests of protesting elders.

Today, Mauna Kea is an extinct volcano, and this mountain is of cult significance for the local indigenous population. Many Hawaiian legends are associated with Mauna Kea, rituals and various events are held here under the leadership of the elders. It is for this reason that the mountain is sacred to Hawaiians, and the very fact of being at the top of a scientific observatory causes a lot of discontent among the active part of the local population.

The Keka Observatory has been operating on the mountain since 1993, and since then 13 telescopes have been installed here and several discoveries important for science have been made. This observatory is used not only by scientists from the United States, but also by specialists from Japan, China and other countries. They planned to build another powerful telescope with a diameter of 30 meters on the mountain, but these plans met the resistance of the Hawaiians on their way. Protests, trials and negotiations of the protesting parties have been going on for more than a year, and not so long ago even led to the arrest of activists. Construction equipment was not able to get to the place of construction of the telescope, and the work of the entire observatory was stopped. In this regard, a large number of astrophysicists signed a petition asking for the release of prisoners, and also expressed a desire to stop the further development of the project if the local population does not want new construction. Scientists explain such an ambiguous step by deep respect for the native Hawaiians, their culture and customs, as well as their unwillingness to become like aggressors, subordinating the rebellious to their will. Many scholars are shocked at how far the conflict situation around Mount Mauna Kea has gone and do not want to build a telescope if this requires such victims.

The current situation once again shows us how different the views of people can be on the same subject or object. If for scientists the mountain is an ideal place for observing space objects, then for indigenous Hawaiians it personifies the culture and spirit of their people, and is also a religiously significant place. Who will ultimately win, time will tell, but progressive humanity, seeking to know the world at all costs, most likely will have to reckon with representatives of ancient culture, for whom Hawaii is their home.