Actor Jason Momoa joined the natives of Hawaii to support the protest against construction of the $1.4 billion telescope project on the state's tallest mountain.
Another Hawaiian Hollywood actor, Dwayne Johnson, popularly known as The Rock, also defended the Mauna Kea protests during his appearance on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'.
Several protesters have blocked the road to Mauna Kea's summit for 17 days in an effort to halt construction on the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project which is set to begin on land considered sacred to some of the natives, Fox News reported.
On Wednesday, Momoa, who is also a native of Hawaii, wore a green leaf around his neck and a crown on his head as he attended a ceremony at the protest site. He bent low to present an offering wrapped in green leaves.
Feeling honoured to be a part of the protest, Momoa said. "I'm so very honored to be here ... to bring my children and all my ohana here. "There's one thing that's not going to happen. That telescope's not being built here," the 'Aquaman' star asserted.
Mauna Kea's supposedly has the best conditions for astronomy in the Northern Hemisphere, and supporters of the TMT project believe the telescope will in scope for employment to the area and further scientific research. Momoa told Hawaii News Now and as reported by Fox News that protesters are not opposed to science, they're opposed to the desecration of sacred lands.
On Wednesday night's edition of 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon', Dwayne spoke about his experience of visiting protestors at Mauna Kea last week. He is not Native Hawaiian but is part Samoan.
"This mountain is their church. It would be like building on this church." Johnson said on the late-night program.
"This is so much bigger than a telescope being built. This is humanity. This is human beings who are hurting." Johnson continued, talking about the Native Hawaiian men, women, children and elderly "kapuna" protesting on the mountain.
"Let's be considerate, let's be empathetic and let's always take care of our people. Because at the end of the day it comes down to that. Taking care of the people," he said.
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