READ: "Mauna Kea: The Fight to Preserve
Culture," p. 33

Question

READ: "Mauna Kea: The Fight to Preserve
Culture," p. 333/TSIS

In your RR, answer the questions: What is culture? How do you identify & celebrate your culture?

MANZER KHAN[T] · Accepted Answer

In “Mauna Kea: The Fight to Preserve Culture,” Sandis Edward Waialae Wightman argues that while Mauna Kea is a place of great cultural significance to the Hawaiian people, it has also become a site of struggle between the interests of scientists and the interests of those who believe that science should not be prioritized over cultural preservation. I agree with Wightman that Mauna Kea is a site of cultural significance for the Hawaiian people. However, I also think that he may be ignoring certain important aspects of this situation. One thing that Wightman does not mention is how important Mauna Kea is from an environmental perspective. While it may seem strange to talk about this in terms of culture, we must consider how much natural beauty has been destroyed or threatened by development in Hawaii over time. The island chain has suffered greatly from human encroachment on its natural resources; many species have gone extinct due to habitat loss and pollution, and many more are now threatened with extinction because they do not have enough space left where they can thrive without being disturbed by humans (Wightman). This raises another question: should scientists be allowed to use areas like Mauna Kea as they wish?  I think that it's important to acknowledge both sides of this issue: yes, Mauna Kea is culturally significant as an important Hawaiian holy site and should be preserved as such. And yes, astronomers are using Mauna Kea for scientific research and should be allowed to continue doing so. I don't think it's fair to say one thing or another is more important than the other. I also think that this argument ignores the fact that there are other sites on earth with cultural significance that are being destroyed by development or pollution all across our world every single day—and yet we don't see people fighting to stop these things from happening or even taking any notice of them whatsoever.

READ: "Mauna Kea: The Fight to Preserve

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