About

Welcome to “Sacred Mauna Kea-He Makahiapo Kapu Na Wakea” (the sacred Firstborn child of Wakea, the Hawaiian God, of the Sky) 

Mauna Kea is the piko, umbilical cord, or center, of existence for Hawaiians. This page is meant to examine this custom and how this is so through history and present, oral, written, spiritual traditions and practices.

Many say Mauna Kea is sacred. Let us look at how Mauna Kea is held sacred by Hawaiians and examples of this idea through history to the present.

Please contribute your ʻike and manaʻo. Feel free to post and comment. We enjoy moʻolelo and pictures of all types.

Let us bring Mauna Kea back to the piko and to the center of our beings as people of Hawaii.

25 responses to “About”

  1. As someone who is Hawaiian and of other mixed nationality I wonder if we All forgot how to understand one’s culture and appreciate its culture. By showing what the word “Aloha” really means and represent to All of Hawaii and its inhabitants. Mauna Kea and All of the Mountains in the Hawaiian Chain of Islands are sacred. So is our oceans, beaches, lands, and foremost the People. I commend what you All are doing. I just hope that this will end in peace and not backstabbing each other.

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  2. Kings and queens were all for progresss.how you attain it is key.in this case and many instances theres a compramise.how we find it,keep positive communication flowing.media needs to be unbiased,report facts.possibly the telescope may be shut down, or be built.what i see this is an opportunity to elevate the discussion of sovereignty and progress. Let’s not rush.our future depends on it.

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  3. Why is 13 not enough… and to all those who support TMT why can you not put it right next to your HISTORIC HOLLYWOOD SIGN… you built 13 while we opposed all of them. Yes the past is the past, but if the future generations is what your concerned about and technological advancement is where OUR future lies. Then why cant TMT just use or update the already built 13 telescopes..?? Im not educated on the scientific advancements that TMT may bring to our society. But what i do know is that THE HAWAIIAN people have suffered enough. This place we call home is beautiful and theres a reason its refered to as paradise.. I believe this is paradise not because of the “new” telescopes or science of OUR HOME… But rather the NATURAL BEAUTY and SPIRIT of ALOHA. ALOHA something that has been growing less and less common especially for those who refuse to take the time to understand OUR culture

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    • Because of the quality of the air column that sits above and the lack of light pollution make it the best place on earth. Hawaiians have an opportunity to be apart of something that will change the course of humanity and through that I believe we can be written into history as giving the world this very special gift.

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  5. I have a question, very curious. Why are you guys protesting against this certain telescope and not the 13 telescopes before it? The Thirty Meter Telescope has been a sponsor of many robotic teams in Hawaii and has also funded some, if not most, of the robotics tournament that has been hosted here in Hawaii. I am not sure if your child is in any robotics clubs but if they are you might want to reconsider protesting this project. I too am a resident of Hawaii and I understand the situation that you guys are currently in, but that does not change the fact that there are 13 telescopes that have been built on the Mountain and are currently no issues regarding polluted water are environmental damage. You guys might be thinking, “Well if we allow them to build another one of those telescopes more will eventually be built”. The construction of these telescopes are not cheap and I highly doubt that there is any more space to fit a massive size telescope. TMT has been made public of its construction for a while from what I heard and that we had an opportunity to actually prevent its construction a few years ago. Isn’t the entire state made up of mountains? If Mauna Kea is so sacred then why are there buildings being made on the bottom? Roads that were constructed in between and on the Mountains. Take the island of Oahu for example, most of the island is covered with buildings, roads, and cars. Do not say that the government is not listening because they gave us a chance to prevent its construction like what I have stated earlier. I am aware of an incident that occurred years ago which was the eruption of Mauna Loa. There is the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory and that cannot be the reason why the Mountain, “woke up” and started to erupt did it? I know about the removal of ancestral burials and it is a sad tragedy, but what has been done is done. True, we can prevent the event of removal now but there is no way we can convince the government to take down every instrument that is up on the Mountains due to cultural beliefs. This is sad but politics are interested in technology and wants to benefit the future generations somehow instead of focusing on our own native hawaiian culture. Let me ask you folks this question. What will you gain if the construction of TMT has been successfully called off? To the community of Hawaii, nothing will change, whether the telescope has been built or not. Think about it. What negative event will occur that will drastically change our daily lives if the construction of TMT was successful? As for the residents of Hilo, would you guys like to see more interesting facts and things that the Imiloa Astronomy Center will give you thanks to the construction of TMT? If you have thoroughly read my post you have my sincere thanks and I will be more thankful if you guys will give me an answer with justified reasons backing it up.

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    • The protests have been constant although you may have just found out. Furthermore civil liberties and constitutional rights have been violated, the title to lands are clouded, burials and burial right protected by Federal Law (NAGPRA) are being belligerently broken and the conservation district mandates and 8 criteria must be conformed to according to law.

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        • Kings and queens were all for progresss.how you attain it is key.in this case and many instances theres a compramise.how we find it,keep positive communication flowing.media needs to be unbiased,report facts.possibly the telescope may be shut down, or be built.what i see this is an opportunity to elevate the discussion of sovereignty and progress. Let’s not rush.our future depends on it.

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    • Thank you as of me I am Hawaiian and I do wanna voice my words. Hawaiians need to fight the real fight this isn’t it. Our future is in this. I have been told if I’m not 50% Hawaiian I shouldn’t voice at all. That’s where your wrong I am the voice for all the mixed race Hawaiian and I do want to know my future will be at its best. This will help a lot for our generations to come. I say SHAME ON YOU KANAKA stop now before it’s to late. My line comes from Kamehameha 1st and I know he would not leave me to the side he would tell you I am of his seed SHAME ON YOU. THE FIGHT SHOULD BE FOR YOUR PEOPLES NOT TO HE LEFT ASIDE. Majority of homeless is of our BLOOD SHAME ON YOU fight for the HALE FOR ALL TO HE SHELTERED. Your claim it’s for our people . Look at Kamehameha schools they don’t even have to Hawaiian yet your people’s are in public schools trying to make it and you not even helping them out. Look how sad KANAKA you have to call RACIST ON THE GOVERNMENT PLACING BLACK ON UOUR FACE. BLACKS AND HAWAIIAN ARE TWO DIFFERENT RACES. SHAME ON UOU KANAKA YOU ARE RACIST. One thing for sure the BLACKS DONT LEAVE THEIR PEOPLE BEHIND BECAUSE THEIR MIXED RACE THEY STILL CONSIDER THEM THEIR PEOPLE. That’s where KANAKA YOU LACK YOUR EDUCATION. FIGHT THE REAL FIGHT KEEP YOUR PEOPLE TOGETHER. AFTER YOU 50%’s are gone gone so is all everything else. STOP NOW STOP MAKING US LOOK BAD. And let our future be proud for letting them do this to further their knowledge. So we can one day be PROUD ON THEIR GAIN. You have your own people stealing from you you money but yet the less% blood we carry means nothing to you SHAME ON YOU KANAKA LOOK YOU JUST SHOWED THE WORLD YOU DONT CARE ABOUT YOUR OWN PEOPLE. Hawaiian 1% blood you are still my PEOPLES I WILL NOT TUTN ON YOU. As for those now who hold 50% or more I say SHAME ON YOU OUR ANCESTORS IS FURIOUS BECAUSE OF YOUR GREED. Now you wanna lay there on the grounds stop the highways really SHAME ON YOU SO EMBARRASSING

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  6. There are many problems with Aloha Aina descriptions of Mauna Kea that prove the positions taken are coming from makaaina’na, not ali’i nui. The ali’i nui know Mauna Kea is not Mauna Wakea, since the Tahitian ali’i that became the Hawaiian ali’i knew a Mauna Wakea in Bora Bora, and even then, they knew that wasn’t the original Mauna Wakea. Stop using the word “sacred”. The only thing sacred is land and rocks in Israel to those who believe Old Hebrew Mythology is truth and knowledge. The whole top of Mauna Kea is KAPU AINA. There is no direct translation of kapu to English, possibly “ancestral law” but not ‘sacred’. Start referring to Mauna Kea for what it is, kapu aina, and the whole top is for ancestral burial grounds. It is kapu to even be talking about kapu with makaaina’na. The ancestral Hawaiian burials were done in secret to be kept a secret. The other huge weighing factor is Mauna Kea is the hale of Poliahu. The volcano is not Poliahu but it is her hale and she is in a very deep sleep, possibly in a coma. It is only respect to stop desecrating an ancestral burial ground and a shelter for one of the kupua ohana. Stop using the word sacred, and the reason it is kapu is that it is the hale of Poliahu.

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  7. Mauna Kea is a ROCK most suitable for modern telescopes to view the stars! No one is even SUGGESTING that those that believe it is ‘sacred’ will not be able to practice their beliefs. The Mountain is big enough to accommodate everyone and ‘hell-fire’ will NOT rain down on those who build and support the Telescopes. Those pushing the ‘sacred’ double talk are those mostly disillusioned by the idea that Hawaii should once again be a sovereign nation, something that will NEVER happen. They seek only to disrupt the advancement of science and the forward progress of our STATE! The past can NOT be redone, by anyone. The FEW people that EVER used the mountain as a place of worship make use of the roads built to reach the summit as do workers and tourists. Perhaps the visitors center should account for the number (and names) of ‘worshipers’ to help debunk the idea that our ‘sacred mountain’ doesn’t mean as much to the average Hawaiian as the protesters claim..

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    • Frank, the protection of Mauna Kea from further development may not be important to you, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important to others. What would you do if the federal government decided to build a new shipyard on top of the USS Arizona Memorial? I’m pretty sure you’d be down there protesting too. Democracy is not about asserting the rights of the majority. Democracy is about protecting the rights of all the people who live here, no matter how small in number or how “insignificant” they may seem.

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  8. It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this excellent blog!

    I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account.
    I look forward to new updates and will talk about this site with
    my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    Liked by 1 person

    • It’s 2016 and cultural ignorance is such that a fool like you considers the basis of Hawaiian theology idiotic? It is you that needs education, it is you who is the idiot. The western materialistic worldview is one of many, and such cultural intolerance should not be taken lightly, please go do your homework, and cultivate some respect.

      Liked by 2 people

      • What does “western materialistic worldview” have to do with a modern telescope project to study our place in the universe? Seems like you’re conflating two things here, or constructing a stupid straw man — they’re not building a luxury hotel or something, the project is one for the benefit of all of humanity to increase the entire global community’s body of knowledge.

        And while he could have been more diplomatic, his frustration is not unfounded. I’m not sure that you’ve captured the moral high ground by responding with an ad hominem of your own.

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    • How disrespectful, Mauna Kea Is an ancient burial ground for the highest of Ali’i, it contains most of Hawai’i’s freshwater aquifers that WILL be damaged because of the need to dig deep into the mountain due to unstable, rocky grounds just for stability. Mauna Kea is thought to be the birthplace of all Hawaiians. Do your reasearch before coming on here and being Ignorant and calling my people idiots.

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      • It’s sad we Hawaiians had an opportunity to be part of something that will benefit all of humanity, now history will do as it does and continue. Instead of fighting for a past and a way of life we do not live, we should find our place as Hawaiians for the future. And I say life we do not live in reffering to all these Hawaiians speaking on issues that were forbidden to discuss unless you were Ali’i Nui

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      • How can it be the birthplace of Hawaiians when that island is probably the youngest in all of Polynesia and we know Hawaiians came from the marquesas or Tahiti. We traveled to Hawaii and we already had history and culture from our previous home.

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  10. aloha
    does anyone know of a list of companies or corporations that have publicly assisted the movement 2 protect mauna kea? i would luv 2 know who has helped aid the cause in any way, whether its using their presence 2 reach out locally or globally 2 shed light on the situation or share a link 2 the petition on their own websites or social media or providing supplies 2 the protectors or taking a break from advertising their own products or services 2 voice their support… i would like 2 thank them 4 their kokua by showing my appreciation.
    mahalo nui loa

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  11. Pingback: Hānau ʻia ka Mauna a Wākea | Lelemia = Hawaiian^(Scientist*Engineer)·

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