Mauna Kea: Temple Under Siege (2005)

Although the mountain volcano Mauna Kea last erupted around 4,000 years ago, it is still hot today, the center of a burning controversy over whether its summit should be used for astronomical observatories or preserved as a cultural landscape sacred to the Hawaiian people. For five years the documentary production team Nā Maka o ka 'Āina ("the eyes of the land") captured on video the seasonal moods of Mauna Kea's unique 14,000-foot summit, the richly varied ecosystems that extend from sea level to alpine zone, the legends and stories that reveal the mountain's geologic and cultural history, and the political turbulence surrounding the efforts to protect the most significant temple in the islands: the mountain itself.

Cast (43)CrewGenresDetailsReleasesMediaAwards

P

Puhipau

Narrator (voice)

M

Manu Aluli Meyer

Herself - Philosopher of Education

K

Keawe Vredenburg

Himself

S

Sam 'Ohukani'ōhi'a Gon

Himself - Conservation Biologist

K

Kealoha Pisciotta

Herself - Mauna Kea Anaina Hou

N

Nelson Ho

Himself - Sierra Club

P

Paul Neves

Himself - Royal Order of Kamehameha

H

Hanalei Fergerstrom

Himself

R

Reynolds Kamakawiwo'ole

Himself

K

Kahu o Terangi

Himself

P

Pualani Kanahele

Herself - Kumu Hula

S

Steve Hess

Himself - USGS Biological Resources

J

Julie A.K. Leialoha

Herself - Natural Area Specialist/Biologist

D

Deborah Ward

Herself - Sierra Club

M

Moses Kealamakia

Himself

C

Catherine Robbins

Herself

K

Kekuhi Kanahele

Herself

S

Sayako Kuroda

Herself

R

Rose Tseng

Herself - University of Hawai'i at Hilo

K

Kenneth Kumor

Himself - NASA

B

Brad Finney

Himself - Environmental Engineer

M

Maxine Kaha'ulelio

Herself

E

Everett Franco

Himself

F

Fred Chaffee

Himself - W. M. Keck Observatory

V

Victoria Holt Takamine

Herself - 'Ilio'ulaokalani Coalition

R

Rolf-Peter Kudritzki

Himself - UH Institute for Astronomy

T

Tom Peek

Himself

A

Abraham Kamakawiwo'ole

Himself

A

Anthony Ako

Himself

K

Kapono Souza

Himself

C

Clarence Kukauakahi Ching

Himself

P

Pi'ilani Smith

Herself

H

Hanalei Soli Niheu

Himself

M

Mikahala Roy

Herself

P

Peter Michaud

Himself - Gemini Observatory

J

John Lee

Himself - NASA

C

Charles Young

Himself

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor

Himself

R

Roselyn Smith

Herself

T

Tom Geballe

Himself

M

Michael Vittorio

Himself

R

Rita Colwell

Herself

D

Dickie Nelson

Himself

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