We went to the Volcanic National Park and walked the lava trail and looked at the crater of Mt. Kilauea knowing that it has been very active in the past. There are stories of ancient cultures who would try to appease the gods of the volcano by sacrificing people. My sister wrote a story from "out of the blue" about 20 years ago about a maiden who was thrown into a volcano in order to appease the the spirit of the volcano in order not to have volcanic eruptions.
We then visited Mauna Kea where there were protesters who were against the construction of a huge telescope. According to one article this telescope would be as follows: "Compared with the largest existing visible-light telescope in the world, it would be three times as wide, with nine times more area". These protesters said that Mauna Kea is a sacred mountain and should not have commercial enterprise and they would throw themselves on the roads of the mountain to prevent construction trucks from proceeding up the mountain. Construction was and has been halted while both sides have a chance to present their case. It is a classic clash between the Native Americans and their sacred land sites and the more scientific world of today.
After lots of thinking and exploring sacred lands, I personally believe that science and respect for ancient tradition can coexist. Hawaii is working diligently to combine the 2 as they work through the opposition to the telescope. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Below is a photo of my 2 daughters during our trip to Hawaii.
No comments:
Post a Comment