Kū Kia‘i Mauna 🌀

Mauna Mahalo
Offerings of gratitude to Kia‘i Mauna I will stand with any time any day.

Taking a deep breath under Lono skies with tears in my eyes thinking of this journey of aloha ‘āina. Yesterday marked 500 days of this current stand for Mauna Kea, 2071 days since the 2015 frontline, ten years for my family and I, 30 plus years for our elder Kia‘i, many of which were arrested this past year.

When my sister saw the spirit of Mo‘oinānea and asked her to tell our Mother to try one more time to protect the Mauna, we were all very different people. We had never been petitioners in court together as a family and at the time didn’t even know we would be standing on the frontlines. Years of sleepless nights for our parents who stayed up researching to no end, hundreds of testimonies, signwavings, and community out reach gatherings. Years of monthly ceremonies on the summit to listen, connect, and strengthen for the journey ahead.

I can still remember when we were misunderstood by many, even our own community, our own people. The newspapers called us crazy, the court system gaslighted us every single time, telling us that our beliefs in our gods, rituals, and sacredness of Mauna Kea didn’t matter because there is “no proof that ceremonies existed in the Northern Plateau.” We endured years of public comments by people who are not even from Hawai‘i but occupying space here, telling us that science is more important than some rocks and that the economy is more important than some prayers. My response to that has always been that I would rather eat rocks than see the TMT built on Mauna Kea.

What I know is, is that the work never stops for us. When the frontlines rest, our family gets up the next day and is on to the next meeting, the next potential court case, and the next outreach opportunity. I told my mom the other day that I think we have said the name Mauna Kea every single day for the past ten years and that it something I am so humbled and honored to be able to say.

No matter how hard it has been and no matter what we have been through, we are still here and still together standing as a ‘Ohana. Today I honor the journey with love.