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The way Jason Momoa describes Hawaii’s beloved inactive volcano, Mauna Kea, makes you understand why it’s considered sacred(神圣的).

"It’s kind of the umbilical cord(脐带) to earth," the actor tells CNN. "You know, if you think about the Hawaiian islands, that’s the biggest mountain in the world, right? All the way up. So Mauna Kea is the most sacred. We call it the belly button, too. That’s like our birthplace. That’s how our islands were formed. So how can that not be sacred?"

He would know. Jason, a native of Hawaii, has had a near-constant presence there when he’s not working, fighting with local protestors to stop the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, or TMT, which would drill directly into the mountain and invade its precious water supply. So far, protestors have successfully blocked the only road crews seeking to go up the mountain in order to build the billion-dollar observatory.

"It started in 2015. What’s happening over there was just not right," Jason says. "And I went over there to meet with everyone to bring the point to the world." Jason joins the protests when he can. He cared so deeply about the preservation of the land that when he had spare time to lend his support, he was there. "You also have to remember, that’s our water source. So having an 18-story building built on top of the tallest mountain from the sea level on our water level is terrible."

The Game of Thrones star says he feels the movement is working and describing his part in it as a calling to do what he feels right in his soul. "There’s massive progress that’s bringing our people together," he says, adding, "I think there are a lot of problems in Hawaii. There are a lot of things that have happened in our history, a lot of injustice, and so we’re shining a light on it. People like myself or Dwayne Johnson, Bruno Mars are trying to spread the concern all around the world. For my soul I need to be there."