Letter: ‘Hordes of outsiders’ involved in protests

The head of the state’s Aha Moku Advisory Committee — which promotes traditional Hawaiian land stewardship — referred to the Thirty Meter Telescope protesters on Mauna Kea as “unreasonable” and consisting of “hordes of outsiders” in an email to a Department of Land and Natural Resources administrator.

Leimana DaMate’s internal correspondence obtained by the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, dated June 23, was in response to reports of protesters building ahu, or stone altars, at the TMT construction site.

“Unfortunate and sad!” she wrote to Sam Lemmo, DLNR’s Conservation and Coastal Lands administrator.

DaMate added that the committee received numerous phone calls from Hawaiian sovereignty advocates asking why it hadn’t taken a stand against the controversial telescope, which some Hawaiians oppose since they consider the mountain sacred land.

She said the committee’s official response is that it is working with DLNR to mitigate the situation.

“Unofficially, local and Native Hawaiians who are generationally from Hawaii Island are upset with the hordes of ‘outsiders’ who are protesting and blocking even those who belong there from accessing the mountain,” DaMate said. “They are ‘mahaoi!” she added, using the Hawaiian word for impertinent or rude.

DaMate, who didn’t return a phone call Friday requesting comment, noted that committee members support testimony sent to the Board of Land and Natural Resources opposing the sublease request for TMT, but added “they also offered mitigating solutions because the reality of the situation is that, no matter what happens, the telescope will be built. Science cannot afford to not build it.

“We believe in a win-win situation and have committed to assist DLNR in reaching consensus if called upon. But these people are unreasonable and thoughtless, especially if they are taking keiki up there.”

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.