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“Chief of War,” starring co-creator Jason Momoa as Hawai’ian warrior, explorer and chief Ka’iana, premieres Friday, Aug. 1, on Apple TV+. Jason Momoa (center) in “Chief of War”
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Cover Story ‘Chief’ among men: Momoa, new talent Makua star in historical Polynesian epic By Dana Simpson Storytelling is at the root of the human experience. Since we have existed as a species on this planet, human stories have been at the heart of our evolution and survival. Many of these stories serve as reminders of past failures and successes, teaching the newer generations lessons in humanity and raising various diverse issues of cultural prominence along the way. These such stories have been of particular importance to Indigenous and Polynesian cultures for millennia, but as humankind continues to grow and evolve, so, too, does the narrative method. In the current age, many of us have taken a step back from more intimate forms of oration in favor of sweeping on-screen epics. In Apple TV+’s newest series, “Chief of War,” premiering Friday, Aug. 1, co-creator Jason Momoa (“See”) stars as Hawai’ian warrior, explorer
and chief Ka’iana, a real-life historical figure described in an 1893 edition of Paradise of the Pacific magazine as “a turbulent and ambitious chief” who “joined the side of Kalanikupule,” king of O’ahu, after turning his back on King Kamehameha I in the late 18th century. While some viewers may already be familiar with Kamehameha’s story, this nine-episode series dives deep into late 17th- to early 18th-century Hawai’ian history and politics, detailing several of the battles, alliances and devastations that occurred during the creation of Hawai’i as we know it today. Despite Momoa taking up the charge as the titular chief, Kamehameha still plays a large part in the new historical action series. Kaina Makua, a Hawai’ian kalo (or “taro”) farmer and agricultural educator with no earlier acting credits, portrays the iconic figure in “Chief of War.” Although Makua may
not yet be known on the wider world stage, his work teaching and promoting traditional Hawai’ian practices is already well known on the island of Kaua’i. As the founder of Kumano I Ke Ala (KIKA), a “non-profit and social enterprise empowering West Kaua’i through native land rehabilitation, food system revitalization, workforce training and youth development” (per KIKA), Makua has helped keep local Indigenous practices alive while giving back to the land and his community in a superbly meaningful way. Makua’s dedication to Hawai’i is not just evident through his hard work offscreen, but he also aims to lift up Indigenous communities by way of “Chief of War,” hoping the story will inform, inspire and pave the way for some much-needed representation in film and television. “It’s big,” Makua told “Hawaii News Now Sunrise”
presenter Billy V in a July 3 interview. “Indigenous people, native people all over the world, we all get mo’olelo [legends], we all get stories. How do we, [sic] aside from just Hawai’ian and our mo’olelo, bring every Indigenous people up? And I believe this is the tip of the spear.” The series, which is “staged almost entirely in the Hawai’ian language,” features a largely Polynesian ensemble cast that includes Temuera Morrison (“The Book of Boba Fett”), Te Ao o Hinepehinga (“Breakwater”), Luciane Buchanan (“The Night Agent”), Cliff Curtis (“Kaos”), Siua Ikale’o (“They Don’t Cast Shadows,” 2022), Moses Goods (“NCIS: Hawai’i”), Brandon Finn (“Fantasy Island”), James Udom (“Judas and the Black Messiah,” 2021), Mainei Kinimaka (“Ka Po,” 2022) and Te Kohe Tuhaka (“Great White,” 2021). Don’t miss the wa’a kaulua. “Chief of War” premieres Friday, Aug. 1, on Apple TV+.
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