Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea Salt Stamp

A set of four stamps and two souvenir sheet issued by Papua New Guinea
on October 28, 2016 depicting Traditional Salt Making amongst the Keri.

Papua New Guinea's Keri tribe extracted salt from sulphur springs on their territory. The stamps illustrate an elaborate process of gathering grass, saturating it with brine from the springs, drying and burning it, filtering the water through the resulting ash, evaporating the water and, finally, creating salt cakes. It was necessary to put the water from the mineral springs through a process taking several weeks to produce a safe and palatable product that could be used in trade. The practice continued until the mid-twentieth century when it was rendered obsolete by the availability of commercially produced salt.

Sources

Kin, Mathias. "Processes of salt baking by the Keri people in South Simbu." PNG Attitude. 22 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2023.
www.pngattitude.com/2015/03/the-history-of-salt-baking-by-the-keri-tribe-in-south-simbu-1.html.

--. "The history of salt baking by the Keri Tribe in South Simbu - 1." PNG Attitude. 15 Mar. 2015. Web. 23 Mar. 2023.
www.pngattitude.com/2015/03/the-history-of-salt-baking-by-the-keri-tribe-in-south-simbu-1.html.

Go to the Salty Stamps Home Page.

Go to the Eclectic Philatelist Home Page.