Native Hawaiian activists call them an unwelcome intrusion on sacred Hawaiian land. University of Hawaii officials hope a master plan approved Friday for future telescope development will resolve that dispute. At stake, scientists say, is a top-notch window to the universe. They include the world's largest optical and infrared telescopes at the W.M. Keck Observatory. The University of Hawaii oversees the observatory, which is used by NASA, the California Institute of Technology and institutions from Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom, among others.
Natives consider it the home of the Hawaiian goddesses of snow and mist.
At a tiny mountain lake, generations of Hawaiians have offered their children's' umbilical cords to connect them to the spiritual world. The indigenous people of the Hawaiian archipelago do. Jurisdiction of Mauna Kea belongs to the Native Hawaiian. Still, the research conducted at Mauna Kea is impressive. The only alternative would be to do it in space, and that's extremely expensive.