Maunakea Observatories chooses to spell Maunakea as one word instead of two (Mauna Kea) based on the context that many Hawaiian words, including Maunakea, are made of multiple root words that are then combined into one word to represent a person or place as Kanaka ʻŌiwi scholar and Hawaiian language and studies professor Larry Kimura explains in his 2008 article in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs newspaper Ka Wai Ola.

Mutual stewardship is a model of shared responsibility in community for protecting, nurturing, and balancing the natural, cultural, ancestral, environmental, and scientific resources of Maunakea. Under the paradigm of mutual stewardship, we think about our shared responsibility as working in orientation of the whole, as part of the whole. Through this model, we acknowledge the interconnectedness between kanaka and their land, and commit to upholding our responsibility to build and strengthen healthy relationships with the land and the people of this place. Consider reading “A Way Forward” by Norma Wong to learn more about the philosophy of mutual stewardship.

A community model of astronomy is a way of practicing astronomy that centers the community our institutions are situated in, in all the decisions we make. It influences how we engage as community citizens, as well as how we bring the intrinsically creative and innovative thinking of the many systems of knowledge from our communities into our practice of scientific inquiry.

What do we mean by community? From a native Hawaiian perspective – and in fact, from the viewpoints of many indigenous and local cultures – there is no division between people and the natural world, including the land. If the land is unwell, the people are unwell. If the people are unwell, the land is unwell. We root ourselves in the understanding that community means both place and people. 

As part of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey’s State of the Profession, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) – which the Maunakea Observatories belong to – has been charged with the responsibility of leading the development of a community astronomy model of engagement  in collaboration with indigenous and local communities:

“The astronomy community should, through the American Astronomical Society in partnership with other major professional societies (e.g., American Physical Society, American Geophysical Union, International Astronomical Union), work with experts from other experienced disciplines (such as archaeology and social sciences) and representatives from local communities to define a Community Astronomy model of engagement that advances scientific research while respecting, empowering and benefiting local communities.”

One example of mutual stewardship in action is found in the way the built infrastructure of Maunakea is maintained. The Maunakea Observatories work with Maunakea Support Services to repair Maunakea’s infrastructure, ensuring safety for everyone who uses the Access Road from Halepōhaku to the summit. We are consistently working to improve our environmental impact with projects like new solar panels on the roofs of Halepōhaku, the mid-level facility operated by Maunakea Support Services.

Beyond the 10 institutions that make up Maunakea Observatories, we work extensively with partners to care for the ʻāina and facilities on Maunakea, as well as advance scientific research. We collaborate with the University of Hawai‘i Department of Meteorology, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), and the Institute for Astronomy to operate the Maunakea Weather Center which provides the most sophisticated global weather forecasts used in astronomy.