Protecting Pa‘akai in Hanapēpē
Hui Hana Paʻakai o Hanapēpē
From Mauna Kea to Hanapēpē, development threatens sacred spaces and
Native Hawaiian cultural practices across the pae ʻāina.
On the Hanapēpē coast of Kauaʻi, 22 salt maker families have passed on the traditional methods of making paʻakai (Hawaiian salt) for generations. Each year, the families dig wells, harvest a special clay from the area, and mālama the salt bed to produce paʻakai for the community.
However, outside forces such as a powerful Las Vegas-based helicopter company, flooding, pollution, and homelessness all endanger this cultural practice.