Mauna Kea, April 2015
Last year when we have been on the Big Island for the IRONMAN world championships we climbed Mauna Kea by foot. It was a magic walk that made us feel connected with the Island and this sacred place in a very different way.
Exactly on that same day protesters had collected on the summit to fight peacefully against the construction of the world’s largest observatory on the holy grounds of the mountain. With a heavy heart just last week 12 protesters have been arrested by the local policemen. Everything had happened without violence. The protests are still ongoing and intensifying. As a reaction the governor announced a temporary halt to the construction.
We think that athletes who attend the IRONMAN race and thus are guests on the Big Island should know about this situation and the sacredness of this breath-taking mountain for the indigenous people. Then each of us can of course have his or her own opinion. What weighs more the observatory and the science behind or ancient sacredness? Not easy to tell.
Here our short video clip from October 2014.
The protest spread…
Sacred Mauna Kea BLOG…
