Protesters fighting the construction of a giant telescope on a mountain some Native Hawaiians consider sacred say the standoff is about more than the project.
Longtime Native Hawaiian activist Walter Ritte says he's opposing the telescope for the same reasons he fought military bombing practice on a small island decades ago.
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Protesters fighting the construction of a giant telescope on a mountain some Native Hawaiians consider sacred say the standoff is about more than the project.
A telescope protest leader says a cultural renaissance is fueling a new generation of Hawaiian activists.
FILE - This July 14, 2019, file photo shows the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, July 14, 2019, file photo, a Native Hawaiian activist prays at the base of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
FILE - In this Monday, July 15, 2019, file photo, Dexter Kaiama, foreground, joins demonstrators gathered to block a road at the base of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
In this Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, wearing baseball cap, leads protesters in song while sitting on the floor of the reception room at Hawaii Gov. David Ige's office in Honolulu. At left in front row are Kinner Horsen and Kaneali'ikeikioka'aina, while at right in front row is Kainoa McGill. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoAudrey McAvoy)
In this Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu leads protesters in song while sitting on the floor of the reception room at Hawaii Gov. David Ige's office in Honolulu. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoAudrey McAvoy)
Ritte and other activists say they're protecting Hawaii's highest peak, called Mauna Kea, because of other critical issues like land and water rights, development and sovereignty.
FILE - In this Monday, July 15, 2019, file photo, activist Walter Ritte, left, and others lie chained to a cattle grate blocking a road at the base of Hawaii's tallest mountain in Mauna Kea, Hawaii, protesting the construction of a giant telescope on land that some Native Hawaiians consider sacred. Ritte was in his early 30s when he became an activist for Native Hawaiian rights by fighting against military bombing on the island of Kahoolawe. Now at 74, he's still a prolific protester. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
A telescope protest leader says a cultural renaissance is fueling a new generation of Hawaiian activists.
Kaho'okahi Kanuha says the resurgence in cultural pride has allowed younger people like him to grow up speaking Hawaiian and learning about Hawaiian history.
The opposition isn't universal among Native Hawaiians. Some support the project's educational opportunities.
In this July 15, 2019, photo from video, protest leader Kaho'okahi Kanuha, center left, talks to demonstrators, some of whom have chained themselves to a cattle guard on a road at the base of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones)
FILE - This July 14, 2019, file photo shows the summit of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
FILE - In this Sunday, July 14, 2019, file photo, a Native Hawaiian activist prays at the base of Hawaii's Mauna Kea. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history: the overthrow on the Hawaiian kingdom, battles over land, water and development and questions about how the islands should be governed. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
FILE - In this Monday, July 15, 2019, file photo, Dexter Kaiama, foreground, joins demonstrators gathered to block a road at the base of Mauna Kea, Hawaii's tallest mountain. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoCaleb Jones, File)
In this Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, wearing baseball cap, leads protesters in song while sitting on the floor of the reception room at Hawaii Gov. David Ige's office in Honolulu. At left in front row are Kinner Horsen and Kaneali'ikeikioka'aina, while at right in front row is Kainoa McGill. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoAudrey McAvoy)
In this Wednesday, July 17, 2019, photo, Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu leads protesters in song while sitting on the floor of the reception room at Hawaii Gov. David Ige's office in Honolulu. For activists who say they're protecting Mauna Kea, the fight against the proposed Thirty Meter Telescope is a boiling point in Hawaiian history. (AP PhotoAudrey McAvoy)
