Hawaiian Salt Makers Aim to Protect Tradition
2024-01-13
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1Last summer on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, Tina Taniguchi was working close to the ground.
2Her coconut leaf hat covered most of her thick brown hair.
3Wet soil had gotten on her clothes and her smiling face.
4Taniguchi smiles a lot while working on the Hanapepe salt patch on the west side of Kauai.
5It is a piece of land about half a hectare in size with pools of salty water.
6The salt becomes crystals as the water dries.
7"It's hard work, but for me it's also play," Taniguchi said with a laugh.
8Taniguchi's family is one of 22 families who make "paakai," the Hawaiian word for salt, following a cultural and spiritual tradition.
9Hanapepe is one of the last remaining salt patches in Hawaii.
10Its holy salt can be traded or given away but must never be sold.
11Hawaiians use it in cooking, healing, rituals and as protection.
12Taniguchi drives a car for about an hour to get to the salt patch.
13For her, it is like religion and play at the same time.
14It is the time when she makes a spiritual connection to the land.
15"This would be a religious practice of mine for sure," Taniguchi said.
16"My dad raised us saying that these mountains are his church, and the ocean is where you get cleansed."
17Malia Nobrega-Olivera is another salt maker.
18She is also an educator and activist who leads efforts to preserve this old tradition.
19Her grandfather helped form the group of salt-making families called Hui Hana Paakai.
20The organization's goal, she said, is to communicate with the landowner, the state of Hawaii, whenever problems arise.
21Nobrega-Olivera said the salt patch is part of the lands taken away from Native Hawaiians after the U.S.-supported overthrow of Hawaii's monarchy in 1893.
22"Regardless of what a piece of paper might say, we are stewards of the area," she said.
23Over the past 10 years there have been several threats to this field.
24They include development, pollution from a neighboring airfield, damage to the sand from vehicle traffic and waste left by visitors to the nearby beach.
25In addition, rising sea levels and weather might stop the practice.
26Nobrega-Olivera believes Western science and native knowledge can combine to combat the effects of climate change and save the salt patch.
27The steps she takes include building up the wells' edges, so water won't cover the salt beds.
28Another step is to prevent damage to the beach from vehicle traffic.
29"Some ask us why we can't move this practice to a different location," she said.
30"That's impossible because our cultural practice is particular to this land. There are elements here that make this place special for making this type of salt. You cannot find that anywhere else."
31The process of turning sea water into salt can be slow.
32The season begins once the rain stops, and water starts to disappear from the salt beds.
33Ocean water travels underground and enters the wells.
34Each family has their own well.
35As water enters the well, so do tiny, red brine shrimp.
36These small ocean animals give Hanapepe salt its unusual, sweet taste, said Nobrega-Olivera.
37The families first clean the salt beds and line them with black clay.
38Then they move water from the wells into the beds.
39There, salt crystals form.
40The top level, or layer, is the whitest.
41It is used for table salt.
42The middle layer is pinkish and is used in cooking, while the bottom layer, which is a deep red color, is used in blessings and rituals.
43Fires on the island of Maui in August claimed 100 lives.
44After the fires, salt makers began sending their salt to survivors, so they can "make their food delicious and bring some of that joy into their lives," Nobrega-Olivera said.
45Interest in Hawaiian culture and language has recently grown on the islands, Nobrega-Olivera said.
46She now thinks about how to teach her knowledge to younger generations.
47One way she honors the Hanapepe salt patch is by writing Hawaiian songs and chants.
48She recently taught some school children one of those chants using the words aloha aina, which means "love of the land."
49"Aloha aina captures our philosophy, the reason we do this," Nobrega-Olivera said.
50"You take care of the land, and the land takes care of you."
51I'm Dan Friedell.
52And I'm Jill Robbins.
1Last summer on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai, Tina Taniguchi was working close to the ground. Her coconut leaf hat covered most of her thick brown hair. Wet soil had gotten on her clothes and her smiling face. 2Taniguchi smiles a lot while working on the Hanapepe salt patch on the west side of Kauai. It is a piece of land about half a hectare in size with pools of salty water. The salt becomes crystals as the water dries. 3"It's hard work, but for me it's also play," Taniguchi said with a laugh. 4Spiritual tradition 5Taniguchi's family is one of 22 families who make "paakai," the Hawaiian word for salt, following a cultural and spiritual tradition. Hanapepe is one of the last remaining salt patches in Hawaii. Its holy salt can be traded or given away but must never be sold. Hawaiians use it in cooking, healing, rituals and as protection. 6Taniguchi drives a car for about an hour to get to the salt patch. For her, it is like religion and play at the same time. It is the time when she makes a spiritual connection to the land. 7"This would be a religious practice of mine for sure," Taniguchi said. "My dad raised us saying that these mountains are his church, and the ocean is where you get cleansed." 8Malia Nobrega-Olivera is another salt maker. She is also an educator and activist who leads efforts to preserve this old tradition. Her grandfather helped form the group of salt-making families called Hui Hana Paakai. The organization's goal, she said, is to communicate with the landowner, the state of Hawaii, whenever problems arise. Nobrega-Olivera said the salt patch is part of the lands taken away from Native Hawaiians after the U.S.-supported overthrow of Hawaii's monarchy in 1893. 9Native claims to the land 10"Regardless of what a piece of paper might say, we are stewards of the area," she said. 11Over the past 10 years there have been several threats to this field. They include development, pollution from a neighboring airfield, damage to the sand from vehicle traffic and waste left by visitors to the nearby beach. In addition, rising sea levels and weather might stop the practice. 12Nobrega-Olivera believes Western science and native knowledge can combine to combat the effects of climate change and save the salt patch. The steps she takes include building up the wells' edges, so water won't cover the salt beds. Another step is to prevent damage to the beach from vehicle traffic. 13"Some ask us why we can't move this practice to a different location," she said. "That's impossible because our cultural practice is particular to this land. There are elements here that make this place special for making this type of salt. You cannot find that anywhere else." 14The process of making salt 15The process of turning sea water into salt can be slow. The season begins once the rain stops, and water starts to disappear from the salt beds. Ocean water travels underground and enters the wells. Each family has their own well. As water enters the well, so do tiny, red brine shrimp. These small ocean animals give Hanapepe salt its unusual, sweet taste, said Nobrega-Olivera. 16The families first clean the salt beds and line them with black clay. Then they move water from the wells into the beds. There, salt crystals form. The top level, or layer, is the whitest. It is used for table salt. The middle layer is pinkish and is used in cooking, while the bottom layer, which is a deep red color, is used in blessings and rituals. 17Fires on the island of Maui in August claimed 100 lives. After the fires, salt makers began sending their salt to survivors, so they can "make their food delicious and bring some of that joy into their lives," Nobrega-Olivera said. 18Keeping traditions alive 19Interest in Hawaiian culture and language has recently grown on the islands, Nobrega-Olivera said. She now thinks about how to teach her knowledge to younger generations. 20One way she honors the Hanapepe salt patch is by writing Hawaiian songs and chants. She recently taught some school children one of those chants using the words aloha aina, which means "love of the land." 21"Aloha aina captures our philosophy, the reason we do this," Nobrega-Olivera said. "You take care of the land, and the land takes care of you." 22I'm Dan Friedell. 23And I'm Jill Robbins. 24Deepa Bharath reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 25______________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27patch - n. a small area of land where a particular plant or crop grows or is produced 28crystal - n. a small piece of a substance that has formed naturally into a regular symmetrical shape. 29ritual - n. a religious service or other ceremony which involves a series of actions performed in a fixed order 30cleanse - v. to make clean, pure 31steward - n. someone who has the responsibility for looking after property 32preserve - v. to save or protect something from damage or decay 33clay - n. a kind of earth that is soft when it is wet and hard when it is dry 34blessing - n. a prayer asking God to look kindly upon the people who are present or the event that is taking place 35chant -n. to sing a word or phrase repeatedly usually in connection with prayers or a religious ceremony 36philosophy -n. a system of ideas about truth and meaning 37What do you think of this story? 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