Can you imagine what King Kalakaua would have done had he known or had access to the technology we have today to develop geothermal energy? He was someone who was ahead of his time: he brought electricity to Iolani Palace even before the White House.
While in New York he met with Thomas Edison and discussed his desire to light up Iolani Palace and all of Honolulu. He inquired about the possibility of selling electrical power. In response, his attorney general, William Armstrong, jokingly remarked that Kilauea had “power enough to supply the country.” Of course, they laughed, as the idea of generating electrical power from the volcano was not on the horizon then.
However, I honestly believe that if the king knew of methods to utilize the the energy of Kilauea volcano to generate power, he would have made it happen. Such was his creative and innovative mindset.
We, as Native Hawaiians, should learn from his example. We can, and should welcome the idea that developing this indigenous resource of geothermal energy is a great opportunity for us to improve the well-being of the community. Through the generations we have embraced every new and unique thing that came to our islands from various parts of the world. We developed and enhanced these new ideas and then shared them with the world. Our much-loved music, for example, reflects that attitude of adaptation and reinvention, which is perceived as Hawaiian culture.
Our ancestors have always welcomed visitors from across the globe with aloha. But history has also shown us that despite our genuine hookipa or hospitality, we have had to endure an overwhelming amount of prejudice and injustice toward our people. We had to endure the banning of hula and our language. We suffered the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The disrespect of the rights of the Hawaiian people has continued over the years with unwelcome advice from outsiders trying to dictate what is good for our lahui.
Today just as the state finally commits to more fully pursuing the commercial development of an indigenous resource that we have in abundance, some opine — mistakenly — that it would be culturally inappropriate to drill into the land of Tutu Pele.
Yes, indeed they will need to drill deep into the Earth, just as they have done hundreds of times all over the islands since 1879 when they drilled to get water for the plantations as well as for our people. The drilling will be done on an island that was here long before the arrival of Tutu Pele from her distant homeland in Kahiki. We call Hawaii island Moku o Keawe in honor of our 17th century kupuna ali’i whose wise reign was marked by peace and prosperity.
I am honored to be a cultural adviser to the Native Hawaiian company that has helped two Maori trusts in Aotearoa (New Zealand) develop their geothermal assets in ways that have benefited our native Maori cousins and their community. We can replicate that success here. By replacing fossil fuels as the firm power baseload — something not possible with intermittent sources like wind and sun — geothermal energy will make electricity more affordable. Its byproducts — steam and hydrogen — will help businesses and families alike.
Aotearoa expects to be fully on renewable energy by 2040. We need to step up our pace.
The neighbor islands can meet their 100% renewable energy goal by 2035 — if we develop geothermal. Fortunately, the state is committed to doing just that, and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism recognizes what affordable geothermal energy can do to stimulate economic growth.
Cy Bridges is a kumu hula and recognized for his knowledge of Hawaiian culture, genealogy and the arts.
