The Sacred Nature and Significance Of Mauna Kea
The summit of Mauna Kea represents many things to the Hawaiian People. The upper regions reside in the Wao Akua, the realm of the Akua-Creator. It is also considered the Temple of the Supreme Being and is acknowledged as such in many oral histories throughout Polynesia, which pre-date modern astronomy by millennia.
It is home of Nā Akua (Divine Deities), Nā `Aumākua (Divine Deities) and the meeting place of Papa (earth Mother) and Wākea (Earth Father) who are considered the progenitor’s to the Hawaiian People. Mauna Kea it is said is where the Sky and Earth separated to form the Great-Expanse-of-Space and the Heavenly Realms. Mauna Kea in every respect represents the zenith of the Native Hawaiian people’s ancestral ties to Creation itself.
When we look to Mauna Kea, we look from Mauna Kea and we look within ourselves to find our responsibility to Mauna Kea and hence our place in the world. We move through time and space back to our beginning, to the time when the Pō (darkness of creation) gave birth to the Ao (light of creation). We return to the time when the akua walked the earth with man, and taught him the ways (laws) of aloha and of peace.
When we hear the famous Hawaiian proverb; “Mauna Kea, kuahiwi kū ha`o i ka malie” (Mauna [is the] astonishing mountain that stands in the clam), we are reminded of the great Mauna that sits in the calm—the infinite calm, the infinite peace. We are reminded that the purpose of Mauna Kea is peace. It is Akua’s Aloha alone that can bring such peace. Often people ask us what is the protocol forMauna Kea, we say it is, Shhhhhh! That is to be silent, as one is overwhelmed by the great calm. It is silence because when you walk you are walking in Akua’s house, walking before the supreme ones, and really there is nothing we could or should be saying, instead we should be listening and feeling. Listening for what they may tell us, the earth and the celestial bodies of the heavens. We are feeling the love, the peace and experiencing the joyousness of the great love and compassion that is Akua. We feel honored that we are allowed to be there, humbled by the majesty and greatness of Mauna Kea.
To ascend Mauna Kea, is to ascend through the lewa lani (the levels of the heavens). As you ascend, it is as if you are peeling away layers of yourself, so that when you reach the high levels, you approach in humility as your heart lays open before the Akua, and they see you. Their eyes upon you, their lessons learned, their requests fulfilled, their blessing given.
But, when the land, the waters, the life forms suffer, we feel this suffering, the process of creation begins to un-ravel and de-creation begins. The law, the kanawai is broken. We loose our place in time and space and then we are lost. This is why we stand for Mauna Kea. It is our kuleana to stand, our collective kulena, it is our honor to stand, our collective honor, it is our blessing to stand, our collective blessings…today however, there is sorrow, collective sorrow because we know not how else to live, not in destruction, not in the absence of its nature, the sacred nature. In Aloha all are blessed and that is all we know. Aloha Ke Akua, Nā Akua, Nā `Aumākua.
The Sacred Nature of Mauna Kea is excerpted from the Kahea – The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance website (written by Kealoha Pisciotta).
