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IN THIS ISSUE:
Moʻolelo: Dr. Matthew Kekoa Lao
Native Hawaiian Salt Makers Protect Sacred Tradition
Protecting the Pa'akai Traditions of Hanapēpē, Kaua'i
Recipe: Pūlehu Seasoning
Change your Salty Ways in 21 Days
Move More as an 'Ohana
Upcoming Events
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Mo'olelo
Alika Maunakea, Ph.D.
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Dr. Matthew Lau (Kanaka Maoli), is an educator and researcher working in community in Hawaiʻi. He was raised in both coastal California and with his father’s family on Oʻahu. This cultivated his innate love and sense of responsibility for people and the environment. After completing his education in ecology at Cal Poly Humboldt and Northern Arizona University, he has been an ecological researcher and taught classes at Northern Arizona University, Harvard and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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Having a deep love and appreciation of the importance sustainability and traditional foods, he developed a research program and taught courses in food systems studies. He holds two positions as Program Coordinator for Maʻo Organic Farms in Waiʻanae and as Assistant Professor of Indigenous Knowledge and Practice at University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu campus. He is focused on the revitalization of indigenous foodways and their broader impacts on Native Hawaiian health and well-being.
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Share your name, your ʻohana/family names and your favorite ʻāina or wai...what land/water source are you most connected to and why?
Aloha mai, my full name is Matthew Kekoa Lau and my ‘ohana Hawai‘i are mainly from O‘ahu (Lau) and Kaua‘i (Ching and Paku). Although I mostly grew up in Los Angeles and part time in Honolulu (Nu‘uanu and Kaimukī), I feel deeply connected to Anini Beach on the North Shore of Kaua‘i. My Kaua‘i family spend time up there camping and fishing.
What are you grateful for and why?
I am grateful for the time that I get to spend with friends and family, especially my extended family in Kapolei (where I live) and on Kaua‘i.
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What brings you joy?
Being in the ocean (swimming, surfing and fishing), and I’m also a trail runner, so I love when I get the opportunity to run trails, really anywhere.
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During difficult journeys, how do you heal and restore your health and mental well-being?
Going outside wherever there’s a place where non-human life is abundant. I also like to run (or swim if I can!)
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How do you share your manaʻo and mana with the keiki in your ʻohana?
By spending time being present, especially playing and being a source for them to ask questions or be excited by life.
What is your favorite way to move your kino (body)?
I could swim before I could walk, so I always prefer to be in the water, but over time I’ve grown to love running and moving through spaces with my feet.
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What is a quote that empowers you?
"‘Aʻohe pau ka ‘ike i ka hālau ho‘okahi” is an ‘ōlelo no‘eau that reminds me to always keep my mind open to new things and also to temper my own thoughts and opinions (which are many!)
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Would you share an easy, healthy-heart recipe that your `ohana enjoys?
One thing I love is poi and I don’t like to waste, so when the poi I have is maybe getting a bit too sour for most folks, I take it and cook it in my mini-waffle maker. No need to add anything, just use the poi, and it makes light, crispy waffles that are the texture of cake ice cream cones. Great on its own or topped with fruit, yogurt, coconut milk, whatever.
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HHAPI team members, Nicole Ellison and Marla Barhoum met Dr. Lau and his colleagues at the Native American Nutrition Conference last year in Minnesota.
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To watch Dr. Lau's presentation from this conference, click the button below!
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Native Hawaiian Salt Makers Protect Sacred Tradition | |
Protecting the pa‘akai traditions of Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i
Kupuna Janet Kahalekomo, a 4th-generation salt maker who is now teaching the three generations below her said, “We want to PRESERVE, we want to PROTECT, and we want to PERPETUATE the culture.”
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Does Hawaiian salt have less sodium?
Our salt is naturally rich in trace minerals and contains up to 33% less sodium versus ordinary table salt.
What makes Hawaiian salt pink?
The reason that Hawaiian sea salt is pink is because of the water it's cultivated in. The earth is tinged with the mineral ʻalaea, which is red clay that comes from volcanoes. The clay is red because of the highly-pigmented iron oxide. As the seawater evaporates and the salt is left behind, the iron oxide dyes the salt.
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What's the difference between Hawaiian salt and Himalayan salt?
Both are composed of sodium and chloride but Hawaiian salt has ʻalaea clay mixed in it that makes it different from pink Himalayan salt. That clay gives Hawaiian salt minerals and the red color for which it is known. These minerals also increase Hawaiian salt benefits.
Hawaiian Word of the Day: Paʻakai
To understand the meaning of the word Paʻakai, we split the words "Paʻa," which means to be solid or hardened, and the word "kai" which means the ocean water, and thus the word "Paʻakai" means salt, which is the solid form of ocean water. Paʻakai was an important part of daily Hawaiian life.
Used in a sentence "ʻAʻole i kana mai ka liʻu o ka paʻakai", which can be interpreted as "nothing can compare to the importance of preserving with paʻakai".
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Recipe of the Month
Pūlehu Seasoning
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INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
- 4 tablespoons granulated onion
- 4 tablespoons crushed black pepper
- 1 pound 'alaea Red Hawaiian Salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients and mix
- Store in a dry, airtight container until ready to use
This versatile, all in one seasoning mix is perfecct for seasoning meat, chicken, and pork before grilling! Use instead of salt and pepper, sprinkling evenly on the surface area of food before cooking.
ENJOY!
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Keep your akemāmā free of smoke and fumes! Your lungs are working hard to deliver oxygen to your body, and smoking can damage your respiratory system and cause disease. |
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Make a goal to move everyday with your 'Ohana in 2024! | |
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Did you know that kids learn to be active by watching their parents? And we all want exercise to be fun. Here are some ideas that are cheap, easy, and fun!
A great goal is 60 minutes of movement each day for everyone in your family.
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Upcoming Community Events | |
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Health Studies | | | | |
