<
https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/the-path-forward-for-astronomers-and-native-hawaiians-8434f78c9e4>
"In 2015, the astronomy community was excitedly anticipating the next
generation in ground-based, optical astronomy. After more than 20 years of
10-meter class telescopes being the largest and most powerful in the world, a
trio of 30-meter class telescopes were slated for construction: two in Chile
and one in Hawaii. While the Giant Magellan Telescope and the European
Extremely Large Telescope were both overwhelmingly supported by the indigenous
population, Hawaii’s proposed Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) — like many
telescopes atop Mauna Kea before it — faced significant protests and opposition
from native Hawaiians, who cited many concerns and injustices that dated back
decades or even centuries.
In one of the worst public relations move in all of science history, a number
of senior astronomers circulated a message that read, in part, “The
Thirty-Meter Telescope is in trouble, attacked by a horde of native Hawaiians
who are lying about the impact of the project on mountain and who are
threatening the safety of TMT personnel. Government officials are supporting
TMT’s legality to proceed but not arresting any of the protestors who are
blocking the road.” The letter served to galvanize not only native Hawaiians
against the TMT and the status quo of astronomy on Mauna Kea in general, but
also indigenous communities across the globe and a large fraction of the
astronomy community as well.
Is there a viable path forward for native Hawaiians and astronomers? Can both
communities mutually benefit from collaborating together? It cannot happen
without mutual respect and understanding, but that’s a goal that really should
be well within reach. Here’s what everyone should know."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
