ㆁ Exhibition Title : Homo Salinus Sapiens
ㆁ Exhibition Period : May 1TUE. – October 31WED., 2018
ㆁ Exhibition Venue: Special Exhibition Hall Ⅰ, National Folk Museum of KoreaⅠ

The National Folk Museum of Korea has been exploring the universality and specificity of the human race by conducting research and working on an exhibition project on material culture. The theme this time is salt, which all mankind needs in order to survive. The history of salt is just as long as the history of mankind, which is also equivalent to the history of human labor. Depending on the natural environment, salt production methods differ; and depending on the region and the period of time in history, salt signified various cultural meanings.

The special exhibition, Homo Salinus Sapiens is where we present the two-year-long worldwide site investigation and research, which started in 2014, on the sagacious humans that made and handled salt.

The exhibition comprises of,
Prologue
Part 1_Nature, Endowing Salt
Part 2_Salt, Absorbing into Daily Lives
and Epilogue

This special exhibition hopefully offers you the opportunity to discover what it means to have salt in our lives, and what kind of memories salt has left in us.

Nature, Endowing Salt

Salt is formed in areas that are currently an ocean or used to be an ocean in the past. Sea salt is created in current ocean areas, and rock salt is made where used to be the sea. Rock salt, unlike sea salt that is melted in as part of the ocean, is found in mineral forms. Some other forms of salt exist as well, such as highly concentrated brine extracted from inflowing subterranean water, and in a manner of naturally formed salt lakes or salt ponds.

Salt can be divided into four different forms depending on the final crystallization method: sun-dried salt, which is formed by evaporating brine under the sun; Boiled salt, which is made by applying heat; rock salt, which is mined from salt minerals; and ashes salt, which is harvested by burning the wood that had been preserved in a salt pond.

As such, there are various forms of salt due to the way mother nature molds the environment; and how the humans acquire and garner the salt are the results of their strong volition and endeavors.

Salt, Absorbing into Daily Lives

Salt is one of the basic materials that enables physiological functions in human body, hence, it is used in various aspects of our daily lives other than for its edibility. The numerous attributes of salt, such as it being salty in taste, white in color, nondecaying, and hard to obtain, have expanded its horizons to holding cultural symbols. In Germany, guests bring bread and salt as housewarming gifts as a mean to present something that is necessary and valuable to the host. In Poland, salt is given to the bride and the groom at weddings, as well as to the guests, to represent the promises of a marriage, which is a never changing alliance. On the other hand, it is common to see people sprinkle salt in Korea and Japan to prevent any misfortune or bad luck from happening. In addition, salt was used for purification and rot-prevention, exchange of goods, signified friendship and peace, as well as wealth and power. Therefore, salt in different regions and areas of the world hold common characteristics, yet the way it is used and cultural meanings it holds are different.

사진 자료

	An Indian Salt Farmer's Temporary House 2017, Rann of kutch , India (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Salt Making of Peru and Tools 21st Century, Maras, Peru (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Salt Making of Laos 21st Century, Vientiane, Laos (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Salt Making of Tripani 21st Century, Trapani, Italy (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	A Trolley Used in Horizontal Transport and Salt Brick 19th Century/ the late 20th century (Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka)
	The Horn of the Wieliczka Mining Guild & Miner's Axes for parade 16th Century (Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka)
	Enga Tribe's Round Salt Packsv & Baruya Tribe's Salt Sticks 21st Century /The late 20th Century, Enga, Papua New Guinea (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Tongdosa Dano Festival salt 2015, Tongdosa (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Book of Kitchen Secrets The late Joseon Dynasty, Korea (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Papyrus of the Ani 250 B.C., Egypt (British Museum)
Salt Cellars The Late 19th Century~20th Century, Europe (National of Folk Museum of Korea, Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka)
	Paul Jacoulet,1896~1960, Salt Seller 1935, Korea (National of Folk Museum of Korea)
	Kim Jun-Guen ?~?, A Salt Seller The Late 19th Century, Korea (National of Folk Museum of Korea)

Exhibition Hall Ⅰ