Protests about the build­ing of huge astro­nom­i­cal tele­scopes at the sum­mit Mau­na Kea have been going on for decades. They’ve only recent­ly been brought into focus because of the planned Thir­ty Meter Tele­scope. As descen­dants of the ear­li­est Poly­ne­sian voy­agers, the kana­ka ʻoi­wi have always under­stood the impor­tance of astron­o­my. But for a peo­ple who have long suf­fered the loss of their coun­try and auton­o­my, des­e­cra­tion of their sacred moun­tain and the nat­ur­al envi­ron­ment must end. 

As seen through the lens of Kai Markell, Native Hawai­ian activist, pho­tog­ra­ph­er, and attor­ney at the Office of Hawai­ian Affairs, this col­lec­tion of pho­tographs, Ka Poʻe Kiaʻi (the guardians and pro­tec­tors of Mau­na Kea), doc­u­ments one of the largest protests held at var­i­ous loca­tions in Hon­olu­lu. Whether  attend­ing a ral­ly at ʻIolani Palace with their fam­i­lies, meet­ing with offi­cials from the Office of Hawai­ian Affairs, or hold­ing a sign all alone at a street cor­ner, these poʻe kiaʻi feel deeply that their mes­sage must be heard.

Itʻs 2022 — sev­en years after this col­lec­tion was first pub­lished a Pūpū A ʻO Ewa — we are still fighting.