After protest arrests, astronomer defends Hawaii's Thirty Meter Telescope. He wrote that TMT has gone through all the necessary processes and has met Hawaii's legal requirements to allow for construction and that "there is significant support for the TMT Project, including among native Hawaiians." TMT's external relations vice-president Gordon Squires said in an emailed statement to CBC News that "consent in Hawaii is a complex issue, as there is no single, recognized decision-making authority for the native Hawaiian population." Consent in Hawaii described as a 'complex issue' "It is very clear to me that Canadian astronomers, after all my meetings, care more about finding alien life and discovering planets that are habitable for humans outside of our solar system than Indigenous rights and Indigenous Peoples on ours," he said. Maile said it's offensive to hear astronomers make a "bizarre connection" between their pursuit of knowledge and Kanaka Maoli culture. When it comes to astronomy, she sees her field as "a gain for all of mankind."Īn artist's rendering of what the Thirty Meter Telescope would look like once constructed on the Mauna Kea site. "With pipelines, businesses have something they really want to extract and have something to gain," she said. She doesn't agree with the comparisons that have been drawn between the telescope and pipeline conflicts. "Some of us have been real targets of animosity… within our own university communities and further afield as well, that we are somehow to blame for police violence against Native Hawaiians," she said. Sara Ellison describes TMT as a "lightning rod" on Mauna Kea that's about more than any single project and that the conflict has made it a difficult time to be an astronomer. Telescope conflict described as a 'lightning rod' Maile said the TMT conflict is often framed as a clash between culture and science, but that it's really "a territorial, jurisdiction issue" - one that has arisen because of colonialism in Hawaii and the limited decision-making authority his people have on the mountain. Thirteen observatories have been built on the mountain since the 1960s. Its elevation and atmospheric conditions also present an ideal location for stargazing. 
Peaking at 4,200 metres above sea level, the dormant volcano is sacred to Kanaka Maoli. Maile has been advocating for Canadian divestment from the project and working to educate people about Kanaka Maoli perspectives about astronomy and Mauna Kea. Uahikea Maile is an assistant professor of Indigenous Politics at the University of Toronto's Department of Political Science. And if we're not, we won't go," said Ellison. "It is for the Native Hawaiians and the State of Hawaii to decide whether we're welcome.
THIRTY METER TELESCOPE PROTESTS METHODS PROFESSIONAL
A fact-pack on the TMT website says the telescope will "help answer fundamental questions about the universe" will likely lead to discoveries that can't be anticipated today.Īstrophysicist Sara Ellison, president of the Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA), said "it's not our decision to make" when asked what role Canadian astronomers have to play in answering questions about Kanaka Maoli consent and TMT's future on Mauna Kea.ĬASCA is a professional body that represents astronomers in Canada and publishes a long range plan every 10 years. They successfully lobbied the federal government to commit $254.5 million in funding toward the project in 2015. If built, TMT would be among the largest telescopes in the world.
The telescope, proposed for construction on Hawaii's tallest mountain, Mauna Kea, has sparked opposition and widespread protest from Kanaka Maoli, the Indigenous People of Hawaii.Ĭanadian astronomers' commitment to the telescope has forced the community to contend with the tension between its scientific ambitions and how it navigates questions about Kanaka Maoli consent. The Canadian astronomy community has named the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope its top facilities priority for the decade ahead while also recommending the creation of a policy focused on Indigenous consent in a section of its new long range planning document.
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