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| Mauna Kea Anaina Hou | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mauna Kea Anaina Hou |
| Formation | 1994 |
| Type | Grassroots organization |
| Headquarters | Hilo, Hawaiʻi |
| Region served | Hawaiʻi County |
| Leader title | Founder |
| Leader name | Kealoha Pisciotta |
Mauna Kea Anaina Hou is a Native Hawaiian stewardship and advocacy group formed in the mid-1990s to protect sacred sites on Mauna Kea and assert cultural protocols regarding telescope development, religious practices, and land stewardship. The organization interacts with entities involved in astronomy, Hawaiian cultural organizations, and state institutions while engaging in protests, litigation, and public outreach concerning land-use decisions on Hawaiʻi Island. Its activities have put it at the intersection of debates involving indigenous rights, scientific research, environmental protection, and state policy.
Mauna Kea Anaina Hou was founded during a period of intensified controversy over telescope construction on Mauna Kea that involved University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, University of Hawaiʻi, Institute for Astronomy (University of Hawaiʻi), and private observatory consortia such as the European Southern Observatory model organizations and partners in projects similar to Keck Observatory and Subaru Telescope. The group emerged amid wider movements that included actors like Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Royal Order of Kamehameha I affiliates, and community stakeholders influenced by events such as occupations at ʻAʻahi and negotiations over management frameworks akin to those preceding the formation of the Mauna Kea Management Board and reviews led by agencies like the Hawaiʻi State Legislature and Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii). Founding figures engaged with cultural practitioners recognized by Bishop Museum records and connected to customary lineages documented in archives at the Hawaiʻi State Archives.
The organization articulates beliefs grounded in Native Hawaiian cosmology and customary rights invoked in interactions with institutions such as the Kamehameha Schools and cultural preservation programs like those at ʻIolani Palace and Huliheʻe Palace. Its principles emphasize sacredness of summit spaces referenced in chants and wahi pana acknowledged by scholars at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and cultural leaders associated with Hui Kanaka ʻOiwi and Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation. Members draw upon protocols observed at ancient heiau and referenced in materials from Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs educational initiatives. The group situates its stance among global indigenous assertions similar to actions by representatives at forums like United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and aligns with cultural sovereignty claims reflected in literature from ʻAhahui Kaʻahumanu-affiliated networks and practitioners trained at institutions like Hawaiʻi Community College.
Activities by the group include participating in public hearings held before bodies such as the Hawaiʻi County Council, submitting testimony in proceedings akin to those of the Board of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii), organizing cultural access protocols similar to programs developed by Friends of ʻIolani Palace, and engaging with scientific institutions like the National Science Foundation-funded projects and consortia analogous to International Gemini Observatory partners. Advocacy has included educational outreach with museums including the Bishop Museum, collaboration with legal advocates connected to Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, and media engagement with outlets such as the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaiian Broadcasting System-affiliated platforms. The organization has coordinated ceremonies that involve kūpuna from networks like Hawaiian Civic Club chapters and consulted with elders recognized by the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust and cultural practitioners tied to Na Mea Hawaiʻi initiatives.
The group has been prominently associated with protests opposing projects comparable to the Thirty Meter Telescope proposal, joining coalitions alongside organizations such as Protect Mauna Kea Coalition and participants linked to the broader Native Hawaiian sovereignty movement seen in actions by Ka Lahui Hawaii. Demonstrations have involved interactions with law enforcement agencies including the Hawaiʻi County Police Department and administrative bodies like the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary when injunctions and access restrictions were enforced. Events on the mountain drew attention from national entities including members of United States Congress committees and commentators from media outlets such as NPR and The New York Times, and inspired solidarity visits from groups engaged in campaigns similar to those supporting indigenous causes at Standing Rock. The controversy engaged stakeholders comparable to the Board of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii) and catalyzed policy reviews by the Hawaiʻi State Legislature.
Legal efforts associated with the group have involved filings and participation in contested cases before administrative tribunals resembling proceedings at the Office of Administrative Hearings (Hawaii) and appeals considered by the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court. Political engagement included testimony in hearings of the Hawaiʻi County Council and communication with elected officials similar to those in the Governor of Hawaii's office, involving advocacy intersecting with statutes administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (Hawaii) and environmental review processes under laws analogous to the Hawaii Environmental Policy Act. The organization has collaborated with attorneys linked to Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation-style practices and engaged tribal-rights advocates with connections to federal entities such as the Department of the Interior on matters of consultation and customary use.
The group maintains complex relationships with Native Hawaiian organizations like Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kamehameha Schools, Hawaiian Civic Clubs, and other cultural nonprofits resembling Kanu o ka ʻĀina and Hoʻokūkū ʻāina-oriented associations. Some partnerships have involved cooperative ceremonial protocols with entities that manage community resources, including trusts similar to the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and land stewards akin to the Nature Conservancy of Hawaiʻi. Ties with advocacy coalitions mirror collaborations seen between Protect Mauna Kea Coalition members and local cultural practitioners, while tensions have occasionally emerged with institutional stakeholders such as university-based astronomy programs affiliated with facilities like W. M. Keck Observatory.
Public reception has been polarized, with supporters drawing from constituencies represented by organizations such as Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation allies, and cultural preservationists cited in coverage by outlets like Civil Beat and Honolulu Civil Beat. Critics have included proponents of astronomical research associated with observatories similar to Keck Observatory and funding agencies akin to the National Science Foundation, who emphasize scientific benefits and economic impacts noted by analysts at institutions comparable to University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization. Coverage in media such as The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and local broadcasters reflected debates over indigenous rights, scientific progress, and land management, while academic commentary appeared from scholars at University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University studying indigenous movements.
Category:Native Hawaiian organizations