HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0855.031 2018-2020 •
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Sent: Tuesday,April 07, 2020 11:22 AM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Fwd: Opposition to 568-20 COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
• RECEIVED
Dear Council Members,
Time (l:?+Za 4 ByeAD
Date APR 0 7 2020
I. just sent the letter to Mayor Kim,et. al., see below.
I am sending it on to you, aswell, to ensure receipt.
Kind regards,
Alexis R. Cohen,M.A.
Forwarded message •
From: Alexis Cohen <alexis.r.cohen u.glnail.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 7, 2020 at 2:19 PM
Subject: Opposition to 568-20
To: <Valerie.Poindexter@hawaiicountv.gov>, <Aaron.Chu.ng@hawaiicounty.gov>, •
<Sue.Leeloy@hawaiicounty.gov>, <Ashley.Kierkiewicz cr hawaiicounty.gov>, <Matt.Kanealii-
Kleinfelder ct;hawaiicount . ov> <Maile.David/c�r.hawaiicount .gov> <Rebecca.Villegas cUha , g .
�� , 4., y a , b C; 1\AlIC�LliltV.��\ ,
<Karen.Eoff@hawaii.county.gov>, <Tim.Richards@hawaiicounty.;ov>, <harrv.kim@hawaiicounty �Mrov>
"Tuesday,April 7, 2020
Dear Mayor Harry'Kim,Valerie Poindexter,Aaron Chung, Sue Leeloy,Ashley Kierkiewicz, Matt Kanealii-
Kieinfeld.er, Maile David,Rebecca Villegas,Karen Eoff and'Tim Richards,
I am writing this letter to you straight from the heart.
I had the good fortune of growing up in I-.Iawai'.i and I have a perspective I would like to share with you in hopes of
appealing to your intellects aid the depths of your. hearts.
We are, collectively and.globally, at a crossroad.s.right now. Take into consideration the following trends particularly
relevant to our times: -
1. Indigenous wisdom is the most intimate understanding that humanity holds with much of the Earth's most
important ecosystems.
2. Indigenous people take care of the Earth. Comprising less than 5%of the world's population, they protect 80%
of global biod.iversi.ty.
3. For this reason,UN Climate scientists have declared that ensuring patine rights is one ofthen.top r'Ccorrrirrerrdlrtionsfor
addressirrh climate change.
Comm. No. %69.31
1 Ref.To: P I cow
Ref. Date APR - 8 20213
4. Moving from the mainstream worldview of domination and.exploitation of nature to an indigenous worldview of
co-existence and co-relation with the natural world is imperative in reversing the climate crisis. (Indigenous peoples
have for centuries unequivocally demonstrated they-are the best guardians of the wellbeing of the land, water and
air.)
However, there are obstacles:
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1. idost'Young people don'tkno\\fvhat comprises an indigenous worldview.
2.'1 he Majority of schools and.iilik"-ersitces are not teaching it. Indigenous biocultural wisdom remains undertaught
in schools despite the«_6iii,;iew'.citaibmt't -\which scientists are urging us to shift.
3. Stereotypes continue to persist in the media still based on the outmoded thinking of Lewis Henry-Morgan and
Herbert Spencer,who in their anthropological studies, envisioned societies in stages of a linear progression of
advancement, leading as they believed from savagery to barbarism to civilization. go note, as described by Wade
Davis, ".Each.of these phases of human development was correlated, in [Morgan and Spencer's] calculations,with
specific technological innovations. Fire,ceramics and the bow and arrow marked the savage. With the
domestication of animals, the rise of agriculture and the invention of metalworking,we entered the level of the
barbarian.Literacy of the written word rather than an oral tradition] implied civilization." (The l 'ayfinder:c, Why
Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World,p. 64))
Not onl does this influence public perception, this lack of understanding also affects the dehumanization of our
indigencous citizens— damaging our collective connection to our natural world.as well as the self esteem of young.
indigenous people, making it more difficult for them to pass on the worldview top climate scientists are now
urging all of rrs to moue toward.
This is .I national.and global travesty.
Beyond this, let us take into consideratioIn the imperative nature of understanding what Sacred Geography means to
our indigenous sisters and brothers... and us. The point is not whether one sacred space.—say, Grace Cathedral,
Congregation S.hearith Israel,Masjid Ar-Ribat:Islami, or Mauna Kea—is more or less important than another.The
point is not to point the finger at who is right and who is wrong.The questions we must ask.are:
is a.peci/ir moimtar.'rr,with one of our highest planetary points, simply that?A pinnacle for our observations?
Consider in the very real sense that a valuable and vulnerable indigenous culture can have a deep,lasting and healing
impact on our shared natural environment. A child who is raised to believe that a mountain is the abode of a
protective spirit or the origin of her humanity.will be profoundly different from a youth brought up to believe all.
mountains are inert masses of rock ready to be built upon or.:m.ined.
The full measure of a vibrant democratic culture is one that embraces both the people and the quality of their
aspirations.
For the Native .Hawaiians, it would be remiss and an irreparable loss of a,global treasure if'we air unable tofullygzarp the valine
and nature of the metaphoi:i'that propel them on».,ird And we must tirat the Natioe Hawaiians jusgy. .Indi,geuons tights are human
rights.
With the aforementioned.statement,I ask.of you to please seriously consider ceasing your support of the.TMT
International Observatory on Mauna Kea,Hawai'i, especially'during tills time of the COVID19 pandemic. I am
appealing to your collective conscience, educated minds and human emotions. It is time to save.the vast knowledge
of our First Nations people first by understanding why this observatory causes deep pain and then building in truly
r-elatio iships based' n,rtif's`t nd.reciprocity. It time to consider our quest for international recognition in outer
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space as something to be reflected upon in its priority. It is time to put scientific exploration of the space beyond
our planet aside to address our societal and environmental subjugation and eradication on our planet. INy is
e1;piol ing what is beyond ifs MOM important than us?
We are hurting here on Earth.
Moreover, during this unprecedented time, as we are all navigating the COVID 19 virus and its very real
complications, any TMT construction during this pandemic and health crisis is hard to imagine as safe for the
oversight and construction workers.
Please consider this information.
I ask you to look inside your hearts for all involved. 1 ask jou to see the bigger picture.
Currenly,I reside with my family in San Francisco and available for presenting during a Committee meeting via
Zoom or for further conversation if you are interested, and I hope you are. Please let me know of your receipt of
this letter.
Thank you for your consideration and time.
May we find an expanded understanding together.
Sincerely and with Appreciation,
Alexis R. Cohen,M.A.
415-717-451.6
Professional: admissions@thenewvillageschool.org
Personal: alexis.r.cohen(t)grnail.com
Alexis Cohen,MA
Principal
Morning Sky Public Relations
415-717-4516
100 Ebbtide Avenue, Suite 154
Sausalito, CA 94965
AIM: alexis.r.cohen@gmail.com •
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