Mauna Kea Essay

The Development of Mauna Kea!

Over six million years ago, Niihau, the eldest of the the Hawaiian islands was born. That was only the beginning of the formation. Today, the island of Hawaii is the youngest island of them all, and is still forms till this day. Hawaii island is also to Mauna Kea. National Geographic states that “Mauna Kea, one of six volcanoes that have formed the island of Hawaii...” this is important to the Hawaiian culture because without Mauna Kea natives would not have land to live on. It also says that Mauna Kea is the “tallest mountain on Earth at 9,966 meters (32,696 feet, 6.2 miles). This is 1,116 meters (3,661 feet, 0.7 miles) taller than Mount Everest and roughly the same height in the atmosphere where commercial airplanes fly” (Mauna Kea para 3). Though Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world most of its height is under water. Being the tallest mountain Mauna Kea is a big part of the Hawaiian history and also a big part of world history. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano, the last time it says to have erupted was about 4,600 years ago. Since its last eruption Mauna Kea has evolved into more than just a volcano, it has also become home to some of the world 's best telescopes and has also been

In this article Hitt says, “Pu‘u Mākanaka (hill crowded with people) and four other pu‘u are also considered likely to contain burials. Oral histories passed down through families have also shared that there are burials on the slopes of Mauna Kea” (Hitt para 5). Since this mountain does contain the buried bodies of our ancestors this means that Mauna Kea is a big deal. Since our elders are now apart of the mountain we are also apart of the mountain. In modern times, instead of burying the bodies on Mauna Kea, they cremate the bodies and spread the ashes on the mountain. Doing this gives the dying culture back some of the old and traditional ways to bury its kupuna