  Maunakea, the proposed site of the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), is a
lightning-rod topic for Native Hawaiians, Hawaii residents, and the
international astronomy community. In this paper we, Native Hawaiian natural
scientists and allies, identify historical decisions that impact current
circumstances on Maunakea and provide approaches to acknowledging their
presence. Our aim is to provide an Indigenous viewpoint centered in Native
Hawaiian perspectives on the impacts of the TMT project on the Hawaiian
community. We summarize the current Maunakea context from the perspective of
the authors who are trained in the natural sciences (inclusive of and beyond
astronomy and physics), the majority of whom are Native Hawaiian or Indigenous.
We highlight three major themes in the conflict surrounding TMT: 1) physical
demonstrations and the use of law enforcement against the protectors of
Maunakea; 2) an assessment of the benefit of Maunakea astronomy to Native
Hawaiians; and 3) the disconnect between astronomers and Native Hawaiians. We
close with general short- and long- term recommendations for the astronomy
community, which represent steps that can be taken to re-establish trust and
engage in meaningful reciprocity and collaboration with Native Hawaiians and
other Indigenous communities. Our recommendations are based on established best
principles of free, prior, and informed consent and researcher-community
interactions that extend beyond transactional exchanges. We emphasize that
development of large-scale astronomical instrumentation must be predicated on
consensus from the local Indigenous community about whether development is
allowed on their homelands. Proactive steps must be taken to center Indigenous
voices in the earliest stages of project design.
