Linus Oota, Lafia
Keana is the headquarters of Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. It has an area of 1,048. 1km and population of about 80,000
A visit to the sleepy town situated 67 kilometers away from Lafia, the state capital, really prepares you for an amazing sight. Tucked away in a serene setting off the mainstream of the little town is the village, where salt has been produced through local technology for about 700 years.
The road to the salt mining is a narrow footpath, worn out from years of use by thousands of women who had worked their livelihood from the Keana salt.
A line-up of mini huts, an array of well-positioned pots on a neat and large expanse of land greets a first time visitor to Keana, where the waters and soil underneath, all taste of salt. There are no grinding sounds of factory machines or the glittering of industrial metallic objects, all you see are aged women, passionate about their works of manual processing of salt from the surrounding vegetation and the sounds of their clashing clay pots.
Their tireless efforts produce fine salt, the quality, which is in every way the same as the normal processed salt by r city- based industries. Production of salt appears to be one of the major mainstays of indigenes of Keana even though it is difficult to say when it exactly started.
Keana salt village means several things to several persons. To the tourist it is a captivating sight that thrills the senses, leaving lasting memories. To the average Keana woman, it is a source of livelihood, deposited by the gods and handed down the generations.
To the industrialists, it is a fascinating case study of the intriguing ingenuity of people of all ages and an evidence of Nigeria’s enormous endowment in natural resources. The method of processing provides an interesting dimension to the phenomenon that is the Keana salt mine.
From the sandy, salt filled soil, long horizontal ridges are made. The sand is heaped into a tripartite set of pots positioned on a slanted, slightly hollow palm-tree trunk laid on a raised ground. Salty water from a nearby pond is poured into each of the pots.
A tiny hole, the size of a finger, is dug at the bottom of each of them from which, filtered salt water drips into the hollow part of the tree plant beneath. To avoid contamination with wood’s dirt, a thin layer of cement concrete is made inside the trunk. This enables the salt water to flow slowly, neatly into a flat pot dug underneath, at the edge of the plank.
The clean, lightly thick salt water is collected into another pot, put on the fire and heated continuously until it solidifies. It is then spread out in the open space, a whitish and very salty substance, Keana salt, ready for sale and/or consumption.
The custodian of the salt village, Osikigu, Osuza Nyaku (Prime minister), told Daily Sun that Keana salt, discovered early in the 12th century, was still being processed through the traditional method: “Keana salt mining industry dates back to the 12th century when the salt discovery attracted our settlement here.
“The Kwararafa Kingdom used the salt economy of Keana to wage war and expand its territory. We can safely say that Keana was responsible for the greatness of the kingdom it is our economy that propelled it.
“If the government provides modern salt industry equipment, it will maximize production capacity for both local consumption, export and help to create jobs, thereby curtailing social vices. With modern industrial equipment, we will be able to produce the salt in large quantity and export to earn more revenue.”
Keana salt was exported to places like Sokoto, Borno, Plateau, Benue, Kano and Niger states: “Over the centuries, a pattern of mining was evolved. While the men would concentrate on farming, the women are the ones who actually get involved in the exploration, mining and production of the salt.”
It was gathered that every family is assigned a portion at the vast salt mine spanning several hectares of land in the middle of the town. Every female member is expected to work as the secrets of the salt production are passed from mother to daughter and one generation to another.
At some point, the economy of Keana began to depend on the industry of the women who spent at least four months from January to April pounding the ground to extract salt from the soil.
Nyaku: “It is what this town is known for. Without our salt there will be no Keana. Many of us are beneficiaries of the salt business.