Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 7, 1 July 2003 — Salazar reflects all that makes Hawaiʻi special in her musics [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Salazar reflects all that makes Hawaiʻi special in her musics

By Manu Boyd Singer/guitarist Owana Salazar has a lot going on. She resides on Maui where she performs at numerous functions and spends a good deal of time sharing and celebrating Hawaiian history, something her family has done for generations. Of royal descent herself, Owana Ka'ohelelani Māhealani-rose Salazar commits time and energy to The Friends of Moku'ula, a Lahaina-based organization seeking to preserve the now-covered-up royal residence of Kamehameha III, originally established in the 1600s during the reign of paramount Maui ali'i Pi'ilani. "Working with the Friends group is awesome. The Moku'ula royal compound was in the middle of a large pond, Mokuhinia. National Geographic calls it the archaeological find of the century. Everything is intact," said Salazar. "Aside from

giving the historical walking tours whieh ean take up to two hours, I also help with fund raising," she said. But history aside, Salazar is hailed as a slack-key master, and / she has the distinction of being /J the only recognized female steel /I

guitar player in Hawai'i. Her latest CD, "Wahine SIack 'N Steel earned her the coveted Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award for island contemporary alhum of '

the year in May. That honor, long overdue, acknowledges not only hei

diverse guitar savvy, but her outstanding vocals as one of the top Hawaiian sopranos of all time. Her pitch and tone are impeeeahle, and her love of music as nurtured by her family is always apparent. Her great-grandmother, Princess

Theresa Owana La'anui Wilcox, is credited as the composer

"—7 of the classic "Uluhua / Wale Au" whieh Salazar / recorded on an earlier pro- / ject. / Salazar makes her haku mele debut with " Kapalua ," a Hawaiian language song with 'umeke (Tahitian 'ukulele) accompaniment. "I was playing at a hotel one night, and it was really quiet

— almost boring. But I couldn't allow myself to be bored

with all that natural beauty around, so I looked out to the oeean and started singing phrases. I repeated them over and over, See SALAZAR page 1 7

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Mfi f 'Aii ana

SALAZAR from page 1 1 and before I knew it, I had a verse. Brother Frank Hewett helped me later with the Hawaiian. I'm not a native speaker, but I love our language," she said. "Nani Hala'ula " by John Ka'imikaua is a tribute in waltz time to the North Kohala district named for the red hala (pandanus). Kaname'e and Paliakamoa are sites memorialized in the mele whieh pays honor to Kohala as the birth plaee of Kamehameha. "Kohala Moon ," another Ka'imikaua composition, features romantic steel guitar — a sprinkle of nostalgia albeit a recent eomposition. "AWipoe' by Rev. William Maka'ehu salutes Kaua'i and is classic in poetic form and per-

formance. "A he waiwai nō e ke aloha, he ui'i, he nohea i ku'u maka, E kīloha iho ai ka waiho kāhela o Hā'upu i ka maka o ka 'ōpua' (You are truly a treasure, my beloved; young and beautiful to my eyes; gazing at the view spread before me of Hā'upu in the eye of the clouds). "My hope is that Waikīkī and other visitor destinations depend more heavily on good loeal musicians to create an image that is Hawai'i. So many talented performers who have dedicated years to their craft are treated less than respectably. Let's encourage quality Hawaiian entertainment throughout our Hawai'i," she concluded. For additional information, visit online at www.owanasalazar.com. n