LAUPAHOEHOE, HAWAII – The Hilo-Hamakua Community Development Corporation is hoping to bring the community together to talk about a highly divisive issue: the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea.

Starting on Tuesday, HHCDC will present the first in a series of four events presenting both sides of the Thirty Meter Telescope debate, called “TMT & Maunakea: Common Ground”.

Most of the meetings will be held at Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School Cafeteria and will run from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. The second meeting, however, will take place at the Kulaimano Community Center in Pepe’ekeo. Big Island Video News plans to film as many of the meetings as possible.

HHCDC stated in a media release that its “goal is to bring more information to the community that it serves (from north of the singing bridge in Hilo to Waipi`o Valley) so that people can make informed decisions about the TMT.”

The current schedule and list of speakers are as follows:

TUESDAY MAY 19, 2015
Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School Cafeteria
Lanakila Mangauil – Cultural Perspective
Paul Coleman – Science
Stephanie Nagata – Office of Mauna Kea Management Process

WEDNESDAY MAY 27, 2015
Kulaimano Community Center, Pepe`ekeo
Paul Neves – Cultural and Historical Perspective
Sandra Dawson – Thirty Meter Telescope Process
Peter Adler – Sacred Spaces

TUESDAY JUNE 2, 2015
Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School Cafeteria
Hualalai Keohuloa – Cultural Perspective
Wallace Ishibashi- Security and Safety at Cultural Sites
Paul Brewbaker- Economy

TUESDAY JUNE 9, 2015
Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School Cafeteria
Richard Ha – Hawai`i Island’s Future
Art Kimura – Robotics
Jesse Eiben – Entomologist
Doug Simons – Observatory Science

Judi Steinman, a HHCDC board member, recently made a trip to Mauna Kea to speak to the Ku Kia’i Mauna group, which has maintained a vigil – and TMT blockade – for over 50 days at Hale Pohaku. She reported her “deeply spiritual and highly enlightening” experience on Facebook and agreed to allow Big Island Video News to share her thoughts here.

The main thing that I learned is that language is such a critically important tool. The languages of science, technology and economics are not the same languages of the spiritual and religious realm. I think that this is the crux of the problem with the building of the TMT.

The definitions of protocol and practice for the Native Hawaiian people are very different from those for the mainland/Western/business world.

I agree with Richard Ha when he says that some of the people who are now protesting the building of the TMT were just in school when this process all started for TMT. But the young people who are protesting and thereby are supporting the litigants who are fighting the TMT in court see this as the last vestige of their heritage. They believe in protecting their culture. This is the thing that can not be ignored.

It was my experience that the TMT people did so much more than had ever been done before in terms of honoring the culture. Still, the people who I met yesterday feel that the bulldozers are not the way to proceed. There is protocol that needs to be followed.

I know that the TMT people held Hawaiian ceremonies and have followed protocols and have been interrupted in the process of trying to honor Hawaiian culture. So both sides need to figure out a way to communicate better and treat each other with respect and dignity.

A friend gave me the very powerful analogy that the first 12 telescopes were different men dating (i.e., screwing) your mother then turning around and beating her up. Now the TMT wants to propose marraige and you’re wondering what TMT will do to your mom. TMT can make promises but the memory burns too brightly, keeps you from being able to trust.

I have said before and still feel that the TMT needs to be built and belongs to all of Hawai’i. I see it as a beacon to the future. They have done everything that they were supposed to do and actually much more. Now at the 11th hour there is a chance to turn things around and listen to the people who feel disrespected and disenfranchised. Money alone is not the answer, aloha is the answer.

Other HHCDC board members include Colleen Aina, Glenn Carvahlo, Gerald DeMello, Richard Ha, Jason Moniz, and Eric Weinert. The HHCDC President is Donna Johnson.