Arrr! 'Tis true! Hawaii scallywags be keepin' the sacred salt makin' tradition alive at the state's last salt patches!
2024-01-03
Arr, me hearties! On the island of Kauai, the ancient art o' turnin' briny sea water into salty treasure be a time-honored tradition. 'Tis a laborious task, me mateys, passed down through generations of Native Hawaiian families fer centuries.
The process of making salt from sea water on the island of Kauai is a long and challenging one. Native Hawaiian families have been using this method for centuries. The first step is to clean the deep wells or puna to ensure that the sea water entering them is clean. Then, the salt beds or loi are smoothed out using river rock to create a suitable environment for salt making. The sea water from the wells is transferred to rectangular holding tanks called waiku, where the brine begins to evaporate and salt crystals form. The salt maker then pours the brine into drying beds, where over several weeks, slushy layers of white salt start to form. The salt is carefully harvested by raking the large flakes and transferring them to baskets. After rinsing the salt in sea water, it is left to dry in the sun for at least four weeks. During a good salt making year, a family may complete three harvests.The sacred salt produced at the Kauai salt patch cannot be sold, only traded or given away. The amount of salt harvested annually has significantly decreased over time. The salt is used by Hawaiians in cooking, healing, rituals, and as protection. The whitest salt is used as table salt, the pink salt for cooking, and the red salt for rituals and blessings. Malia Nobrega-Olivera is working to preserve this tradition and believes that Hanapepe salt has the power to ward off negative energy. After the devastating Maui fires in August, spiritual practitioners requested white Hanapepe salt to bless and calm the traumatized island. The salt makers continue to send their salt to survivors who are rebuilding their lives and plan to visit Maui to share their knowledge of salt making.