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Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan

Cultural Anchor By The Edith Kanakaole Foundation

The Birth of Hawaii, the Place The kaao, or sacred records, of the Hawaiian people inform us that the place and space known as Hawaii are themselves island descendants of Wkea (sometimes translated as Sky Father) and Papahnaumoku (literally, the firmament or wide place who gives birth to islands, also referred to as Papa, the creator goddess of Hawaii), who conceived and gave birth to the islands of Hawaii. Wkea has many other meanings, two of which speak to the immensity of our celestial dome. Another refers to the zone of Kea. Kea refers to enlightenment and progeny. Kea, in simple terms, translates both as white, a color associated with spiritual enlightenment and the white of male procreative fluids. Hawaiian creation chants inform us that Papahnaumoku is an extension of Haumea (the-red-sacrifice). Haumea is the lava itself, which, after spewing into the atmosphere of Wkea becomes the solid foundation for living. This intercourse between Wkea and Papahnaumoku also produced the mountain child we know today as Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is both female and male. Mauna Keas physical manifestations of rock, soil, water and ice, are female attributes; his elevation establishes his maleness, as it brings him closer to the celestial seat of his father Wkea. The equitability of this female-male distribution establishes Mauna Kea as sacred and creates the piko kapu, or sacred center, of the island. The Birth of Hawaii, the Native Being The kaao also informs us of the birth of Hawaii, the native being. Wkea and Papahnaumoku also gave birth to Komoawa and Hoohkkalani. Komoawa is both son and high priest of Wkea. Together with Wkea, Komoawa and Hoohkkalani established the ancient kapu system to regulate human impact on the islands that are the sacred children of Wkea and Papahnaumoku. Hoohkkalani means the creator of stars. She, in union with Wkea, becomes the celestial womb from which Hawaii the original native being takes root, gestates, and is born into a sacred landscape. Yes, the Hawaii native, is the descendant of the celestial bodies, the stars themselves. And this moekpio, or coming together, of Hoohkkalani and Wkea, is the primordial union that inserts the Hawaii native into the sacred parabola of life between the stars and the earth. The kuahu or shrine to this arching reality is Mauna Kea. At birth, the native being is born into a system that ensured the longevity of the reality of environmental kinship we know as Hloa. For this reason, Mauna Kea is sacred. Mauna Kea is where heaven, earth and stars find union. Not just any heaven, but Wkea, not just any earth, but Papahnaumoku, and not just any constellation of twinkling lights, but Hoohkkalani, whose children descend and return to the stars. Mauna Kea ka Piko o ka Moku Mauna Kea is ka piko o ka moku, which means Mauna Kea is the navel of the island. Understanding the word piko may give a deeper understanding of why Mauna Kea is the piko, or navel, of the island. In terms of traditional Hawaiian anatomy, three piko can be found. The fontanel is the piko through which the spirit enters into the body. During infancy, this piko is sometimes fed to ensure that the piko becomes firm against spiritual vulnerability. For this reason, the head is a very sacred part of the anatomy of the Hawaii native. To injure the head of someone can mark the beginning of a long feud that may go on for generations, hence the need to refrain from insulting the head of a person.

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Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan

The second piko is the navel. This piko is the physical reminder that we descend from a very long line of women. The cutting of this piko is done with ceremony. And when the stump of the piko falls from the belly, the piko relic is cared for and put in a location that will be beneficial in protecting the future role and function of the child. Should this piko be lost or eaten by a rat, it is believed the child will become a wanderer or a thief. Therefore, the bellybutton piko was sealed either in rock or sunk to the bottom of the ocean or placed in the lava to protect it. The care of this piko ensured two things: the healthy function of the child and the certification that the child is a product of a particular land base. The final piko is the genitalia. The genitalia are the physical instruments that enable human life to continue. The health of all piko ensures that the life of the native person will rest on an axis of spirituality, genealogy and progeny. The absence of one or more piko will prevent an entity from becoming whole or complete. When we understand the three piko of the human anatomy, we may begin to understand how they manifest in Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea as the fontanel requires a pristine environment free of any spiritual obstructions. Mauna Kea as the umbilicus ensures a definite genealogy of indigenous relation and function. Mauna Kea as genitalia ensures that those who descend from Wkea (our heaven), Papahnaumoku (our land-base) and Hoohkkalani (the mother of constellations) continue to receive the physical and spiritual benefits entitled to those who descend from sacred origins. Thus, Mauna Kea can be considered the piko hookahi, the single navel, which ensures spiritual connections, genealogical connections, and the rights to the regenerative powers of all that is Hawaii. It is from this world navel that the Hawaii axis emerges.

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Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY1 Mauna Kea is probably one of the most significant cultural and astronomical sites in the world. For the Hawaiian people Mauna Kea is their cultural connection or piko (umbilical cord) to Papa and Wkea, it is the beginning and the end. For the astronomical community Mauna Kea is the scientific umbilical cord to the mysteries of the universe. It is the goal of this Comprehensive Management Plan for the University of Hawaii Management Areas (CMP) that these two cultures co-exist in such a way that is mutually respectful and yet honors the unique cultural and natural resources of Mauna Kea. The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) has likewise shared the belief that these diverse interests can be accommodated, recognizing that Mauna Keas summit area is unique and one of the most special places on earth. In Native Hawaiian culture, Mauna Kea is a focal point of spiritual and cultural significance, a home of deities, a place of spiritual connection with ones ancestors, history, and the heavens. To astronomers worldwide, Mauna Kea is exceptional in its quality for astronomical observation. Mauna Kea, more than any other place, presents the stewards of the land with an inexorable duty to conserve, protect, and preserve this unique and most special resource. While many people in the community believed that science and cultural can co-exist they also shared a similar concern that the general community, including the astronomical community, did not really understand or appreciate how significant Mauna Kea was to the Hawaiian people. This lack of cultural sensitivity engendered anger, hurt, and distrust towards the University of Hawaii for not being a good steward of Mauna Kea. Cultural understanding and information to appreciate Mauna Kea from a cultural perspective will assist in avoiding miscommunications or unintentional disrespect. Thus, the CMP starts with the premise that if a person is culturally oriented about how valuable and vulnerable the cultural and natural resources are on Mauna Kea, they will become better stewards of Mauna Kea. The CMP begins with a Cultural Anchor prepared by The Edith Kanakaole Foundation to set the cultural framework of Mauna Kea. Chapter 1 provides a more in depth cultural orientation in the traditional and contemporary cultural significance of Mauna Kea. Besides the cultural orientation, this CMP is distinguishable from previous management plans and the 2000 Master Plan as it aggressively and extensively engaged the community throughout the development of the CMP. It was very clear from the initial meeting in Hilo that the development of the CMP needed to be initiated from the Big Island community. We needed to first listen in a thoughtful and respectful manner. Chapter 4 is dedicated to describing the extensive community outreach process we engaged in to first ask permission, listen, and then develop a plan that was respectful of what we heard. Based upon the previous management plans, The 2000 Master Plan, Auditors reports, and years of contentious litigation, the University, and specifically the Office of Mauna Kea Management (OMKM), determined that a CMP was needed for the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, the lands on Mauna Kea under lease from the BLNR to the University of Hawaii.2 The CMP is intended to provide a guide for managing existing and future activities and uses, and to ensure ongoing protection of Mauna Keas cultural and natural resources, many of which are unique. The CMP has been prepared based upon the most current and available information. In preparing the CMP, the CMP team utilizes adaptive management strategies to protect Mauna Keas unique cultural and natural resources. The adaptive strategy suggests that as more information becomes 1 The Executive Summary is described from the perspective of the consultant team that assisted in the preparation of the CMP. 2 Hereinafter in the CMP the leased lands shall be referred to as the UH Management Areas. See Section 3.1.1 for a description of the UH Management Areas.

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available the CMP will be am