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A Hawaii man has sparked outrage online after he posted a video of him urinating on Mauna Kea – a mountain known to be sacred to native Hawaiians.
The video was removed from Travis Upright’s Instagram profile after the clip went viral.
It depicted him urinating on top of the top before holding his middle finger to the camera and walking off screen.
Upright wrote on Instagram that he had to go to the toilet after an 11-hour walk.
Travis Upright posted a video of him urinating on Hawaii’s sacred Mauna Kea
After relieving himself, Upright held his middle finger to the camera, further insulting him
‘As many did. I (thought) it looked cool with the clouds below me so I had a video made,” he wrote. “And the last-minute flip-off was just that I was stupid.”
His actions led to anger and abuse from fellow users. Upright has since posted three video apologies — one more humble than the next, alongside a lengthy written note.
He said, ‘I’m so sorry for all of you. I was so arrogant and I just didn’t get it. I begin it and I humbly ask your forgiveness…”
“I’m so sorry I hurt so many people. I want to understand what it means to hold life and land so precious and sacred that I would protect it with my life.
‘But not for me. But so that I can teach the next generation after me. So that the pain ends with me. Not anymore.
The video went viral but has now been removed and Upright apologized three times
Upright posted lengthy written apologies alongside the video footage
“I will do everything I can to be more aware of the land and the people who have managed it every day,” he wrote. “Not just here, but everywhere.”
Upright’s triple apologies now cause even more irritation.
“During all this you keep blowing yourself up,” read one comment online.
‘Just be quiet now. True humility is not that loud,” read another post.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said the video “can certainly be viewed as culturally disrespectful,” but Upright will not be penalized as there are no state laws against urinating on sacred mountains.
His apologies are now angering online users who accuse him of making it about himself
Nevertheless, many who watched the original video of Upright relieving herself were upset by what they had seen.
“This is deeply disrespectful to ‘aina, the land and to the cultural practices of Native Hawaiians here, including myself,” Hawaii resident and Native Hawaiian activist Alfonso Kekuku said to KITV.
“It was just the sense of entitlement and privilege, it’s almost saying, ‘I don’t care about my choices and my actions here,’ and, ‘I’m going to do what I’m going to do.’ I’m going to do what I want,” Kekuku explained.
However, Kekuku was appreciated for Upright’s apology.
“I’m very grateful that he can admit his ignorance and that he could come forward and talk about how he messed up,” Kekuku added.
“A lot of people moving here, tourists, current residents, really should educate themselves about cultural sensitivities,” he suggested.
Mauna Kea, at 13,795 feet, is the tallest mountain in the Hawaiian range. The volcano is a “deeply sacred place, regarded as a shrine for worship, as a home to the gods, and as the piko of the island of Hawai’i,” the Office of Hawaiian Affairs explains on its website.
In the past, the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) has tried to teach visitors how to respect Hawaii during their stay, although Upright has lived on the island since birth.
“We will continue to do our part to encourage better behavior on our islands, in our communities, and especially at Wahi pana or sacred sites,” the HTA said in a statement.
Mauna Kea, at 13,795 feet, is the tallest mountain in the Hawaiian range.
The volcano is a “deeply sacred place, regarded as a shrine to worship, as a home to the gods, and as the piko of the island of Hawai’i,” the Office of Hawaiian Affairs explains on its website.
“Piko,” in turn, is a Hawaiian word meaning “the navel where life begins,” according to the National Park Service.