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| Mauna Kea Hui | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mauna Kea Hui |
| Formation | 2013 |
| Type | Nonprofit advocacy group |
| Headquarters | Hilo, Hawaiʻi |
| Region served | Island of Hawaiʻi |
| Focus | Cultural preservation, land stewardship, legal advocacy |
Mauna Kea Hui is a Hawaiʻi-based advocacy group formed to oppose development on the summit of Mauna Kea and to defend Native Hawaiian cultural rights associated with Kīpuka and wahi kapu. The organization has engaged in legal challenges, public demonstrations, and community outreach, aligning actions with other groups active in Hawaiian rights and environmental stewardship.
Mauna Kea Hui was established amid controversies involving the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the Institute for Astronomy, and the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, following earlier disputes over the Wahine ʻAina and land-use decisions tied to the ʻImiloa Astronomy Center and Hawaiʻi State Legislature initiatives. Founders included activists who previously worked with Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kānaka Maoli cultural practitioners, and members connected to the Kahuku and Hawaiʻi County communities, responding to policies enacted by the Board of Land and Natural Resources and administrative actions from the University of Hawaiʻi System. The group's origins reference precedents such as litigation against the Department of the Interior and petitions to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court concerning permits and historic preservation statutes.
The stated mission focuses on protecting wahi kapu on Mauna Kea, asserting Native Hawaiian rights, and promoting stewardship models comparable to those advocated by Kahoʻolawe Island Reserve Commission leaders and Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustees. Activities include organizing informational sessions with academics from University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, collaborating with legal teams associated with firms that litigated cases before the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and coordinating with cultural advisors who have participated in proceedings before the Board of Water Supply and the National Park Service. The Hui has liaised with environmental organizations such as Sierra Club affiliates and networks that have worked on issues similar to those addressed by Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy in the Pacific region.
Mauna Kea Hui has participated in administrative contested case hearings under the Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules and filed motions in proceedings before county and state bodies including the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary and filings referencing precedents from the Supreme Court of the United States in matters of indigenous rights and land use. The organization has worked alongside litigants who invoked protections under the National Historic Preservation Act and sought intervention consistent with rulings involving the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and cases brought to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The group has engaged with elected officials from the offices of the Mayor of Hawaiʻi County, members of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, and federal representatives in communications echoing testimonies to committees such as those convened by the United States Congress.
The Hui's outreach integrated cultural protocols drawn from kūpuna, practitioners connected to ʻāina stewardship at sites like Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site and collaborators from organizations akin to Hui Mālama I Nā Kūpuna O Hawaiʻi Nei. It organized hui with community leaders from Hilo, Waimea (Kamuela), Puna, and Kohala and coordinated educational events referencing genealogies acknowledged by institutions such as the Bishop Museum and curriculum partners at Hawaiʻi Community College. Cultural advisors invoked practices related to hoʻoponopono and referenced traditional kapu systems also discussed in testimony to boards like the Hawaiʻi Island Burial Council.
Mauna Kea Hui coordinated and supported demonstrative actions that intersected with larger movements including occupations modeled after civil disobedience strategies used in protests at Standing Rock, encampments near the Puʻuhonua, and rallies associated with Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana-style tactics. Demonstrations frequently drew attention from national media and prompted responses from entities such as the Hawaiʻi County Police Department and the Hawaiʻi National Guard during heightened standoffs over access and permits, and intersected with court-ordered injunctions and enforcement actions by the Department of Public Safety.
The Hui operates with a board and volunteer structure informed by nonprofit practices followed by groups like Naʻi Aupuni and community trusts modeled after the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. Funding sources have included grassroots donations, fundraising events that mirror benefits hosted by organizations such as Friends of the Earth affiliates, and in-kind support from cultural practitioners; the group has also declined or navigated grants tied to institutions like the Kamehameha Schools to avoid conflicts with its advocacy. Administrative filings and tax documents align with regulatory oversight familiar to other Hawaiʻi nonprofits registered with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
The Hui's activism contributed to prolonged public debate over telescope projects led by consortia including the TMT International Observatory partners and influenced permit proceedings before the Hawaiʻi Board of Land and Natural Resources. Supporters cite protection of sacred sites and strengthened visibility for Native Hawaiian claims similar to advocacy by Ka Lāhui Hawaiʻi and Hua ʻŌlelo, while critics—including some astronomers at Caltech and representatives of partnering observatories—argued that obstruction impeded scientific collaboration and regional economic contributions. Legal outcomes and administrative decisions inspired subsequent campaigns addressing indigenous governance, land stewardship, and regulatory reform, prompting dialogues involving entities such as the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and federal agencies concerned with cultural resource management.
Category:Hawaiian nonprofit organizations Category:Native Hawaiian organizations