Hawaiian Salt Makers Aim to Protect Tradition

2024-01-15 11:06:50来源：网络

Hawaiian Salt Makers Aim to Protect Tradition

夏威夷制盐人致力于保护传统

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　　By Jill Robbins

　　12 January 2024

　　Last 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.

　　Taniguchi 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.

　　"It's hard work, but for me it's also play," Taniguchi said with a laugh.

　　Spiritual tradition

　　Taniguchi'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.

　　Taniguchi 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.

　　"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."

　　Malia 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.

　　Native claims to the land

　　"Regardless of what a piece of paper might say, we are stewards of the area," she said.

　　Over 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.

　　Nobrega-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.

　　"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."

　　The process of making salt

　　The 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.

　　The 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.

　　Fires 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.

　　Keeping traditions alive

　　Interest 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.

　　One 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."

　　"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."

　　I'm Dan Friedell.

　　And I'm Jill Robbins.

　　Deepa Bharath reported on this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English.

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　　作者：吉尔·罗宾斯

　　2024年1月12日

　　去年夏天，在夏威夷的考艾岛上，蒂娜·谷口正在地面附近工作。她的椰叶帽遮住了大部分浓密的棕色头发。湿润的土壤弄脏了她的衣服和笑脸。

　　在考艾岛西侧的Hanapepe盐田工作时，谷口总是笑容满面。这是一块大约半公顷大小的土地，上面有盐水池。当水分蒸发时，盐就会结晶。

　　"这是一项艰苦的工作，但对我来说，这也是一种娱乐，"谷口笑着说。

　　精神传统

　　谷口的家庭是22个制作"paakai"（夏威夷语中的盐）的家庭之一，他们遵循着一种文化和精神传统。Hanapepe是夏威夷最后剩下的盐田之一。其神圣的盐可以交易或赠送，但绝不能出售。夏威夷人在烹饪、治疗、仪式和保护中都会使用它。

　　谷口开车大约一个小时才能到达盐田。对她来说，这既像宗教，又像游戏。这是她与土地建立精神联系的时刻。

　　"这肯定是我一种宗教实践，"谷口说。"我父亲把我们养大，告诉我们这些山是他的教堂，而海洋是你得到净化的地方。"

　　Malia Nobrega-Olivera是另一位制盐人。她也是一位教育者和活动家，领导着保护这一古老传统的努力。她的祖父帮助组建了一个名为Hui Hana Paakai的制盐家庭团体。她说，该组织的目标是，每当出现问题时，都要与土地所有者、夏威夷州进行沟通。Nobrega-Olivera说，盐田是在1893年美国支持的夏威夷君主制推翻后，从夏威夷原住民手中夺走的土地的一部分。

　　对土地的原住民要求

　　"不管一张纸上可能写着什么，我们都是这片区域的管理者，"她说。

　　过去十年里，这片田地面临了几次威胁。包括开发、来自邻近机场的污染、车辆交通对沙土的破坏以及游客在附近海滩留下的垃圾。此外，海平面上升和天气可能会阻止这种做法。

　　Nobrega-Olivera相信，西方科学和原住民的知识可以结合起来，对抗气候变化的影响，拯救盐田。她采取的步骤包括加固井的边缘，以防水覆盖盐床。另一个步骤是防止车辆交通对海滩的破坏。

　　"有些人问我们为什么不能把这种做法移到别的地方，"她说。"这是不可能的，因为我们的文化实践是特定于这片土地的。这里有一些元素使这个地方特别适合制作这种类型的盐。你在其他任何地方都找不到这样的地方。"

　　制盐过程

　　将海水转化为盐的过程可能会很慢。一旦雨停，水开始从盐床上消失，制盐季节就开始了。海水通过地下流入井中。每个家庭都有自己的井。当水进入井中时，微小的红色咸水虾也会进入。Nobrega-Olivera说，这些小海洋动物赋予了Hanapepe盐其不寻常的甜味。

　　家庭们首先清理盐床，并用黑色粘土铺设。然后他们将水从井中移至盐床。在那里，盐晶体形成。最上层，或者说是层面，是最白的。它被用作食用盐。中间层是粉红色的，用于烹饪，而底层是深红色的，用于祝福和仪式。

　　8月份，毛伊岛的火灾夺去了100条生命。火灾过后，制盐人开始将他们的盐送给幸存者，以便他们可以"使他们的食物变得美味，为他们的生活带来一些快乐，" Nobrega-Olivera说。

　　保持传统的活力

　　Nobrega-Olivera表示，最近在群岛上对夏威夷文化和语言的兴趣有所增长。她现在在思考如何将她的知识教给年轻一代。

　　她尊重Hanapepe盐田的一种方式是创作夏威夷歌曲和赞美诗。她最近教了一些学校的孩子们一首赞美诗，其中使用了aloha aina这个词，意思是"热爱土地"。