Kanaka elders have insisted that no more telescopes be built on Mauna Kea, which Native Hawaiians consider to be ancestral and sacred.

“To suggest that Hawaiians avoid direct confrontation out of fear or some false notion of aloha is to ignore the whole set of operative values that Hawaiians respected, such as aggressiveness, courage, dignity, honor, competitiveness, and rivalry,” Kanahele wrote in “Ku Kanaka — Stand Tall: A Search For Hawaiian Values.”

The kanaka of Hawaii, the Native Hawaiians who inhabit the islands, value ’ohana, which extends beyond the familial ties of blood.

“Her U.S. mint recognition, that was one of the hugest, I mean, literally one of the hugest achievements of any Hawaiian, period,” Ms. Kanaka‘ole’s grandson Kuha‘o Zane said.

Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka'ole has been named as one of the selections for 2023.