By Kaia James, September 23, 2025
The new television show “Chief of War,” performed entirely in the Hawaiian language ‘Ōlelo, was released Aug. 1 on Apple TV+, a month before the first official Hawaiian History Month.
Throughout the entire month, episodes were released and finished Sept. 19.
While many are likely familiar with Jason Mamoa’s onscreen presence, whether from the DC universe or even his Baywatch days, Mamoa takes on a new level of seriousness with his portrayal of Ka’iana.
Ka’iana lives in exile with his family because he does not agree with King Kahekili’s ways.
It is learned early on that Ka’iana is a former war chief, originally from Maui.
His character must go back to Maui, facing his father’s death and the budding war over the separated islands of Hawaiʻi at the beginning of the 18th-century.
While the first episode teases an action-packed re-telling of the Native Hawaiians’ resistance, the release of “Chief of War” is a major step toward having more Hawaiian and Pasifika creatives front and center in mainstream American media.
The entertainment industry has made strides in casting more brown actors and actresses for larger roles, like Devi from Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever.” They are no longer pigeon-holed as the token brown friend or side character. Yet, there still seems to be a lack of representation for Hawaiian and Pasifika actors.
The cast, comprised of Polynesians, Māori, and Native Hawaiians alongside Mamoa makes the production even more unique. As for several of the cast members, this is their first role.
Cal Poly Pomona’s department chair and professor of sociology, Anthony Ocampo, expressed that he thinks many people in the United States don’t know anything about Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.
“Most people are likely to learn more about Native Hawaiian and Pasifika history from shows like ‘Chief of War,’” Ocampo said.
The reason there is so little Pasifika and Indigenous folks on our television screens and movies is largely because in Los Angeles, it is very difficult to make shows happen that are not centered around white characters and stories, according to Ocampo.
Ocampo referenced his colleague, Nancy Yuen, who is also a sociologist. Yuen wrote a book, titled “Reel Inequality” where she talks about the typical decision-making process for what storylines turn into shows.
Ocampo said almost all these decisions are made exclusively by white men. He reasons some of them may not understand the importance of amplifying indigenous voices because they may not think their stories are “marketable.”
When these stories do pass through this process, Indigenous stories are often told completely wrong, or they are reduced to stereotypes, according to Ocampo.
As seen in “Chief of War,” Kai’ana has to battle in the war, and the show is told from the perspective of a Native Hawaiian. It is rare that viewers are given a chance to see the war experience from the perspective of people of color, according to Ocampo.
“A lot of times, when you have movies and TV shows about war, especially if it is in non-European countries, it is often told from the perspective of the American or the ‘white western military perspective,’” Ocampo said.
Ocampo also warned if people fail to watch, the show might be at risk of being cancelled.
“Otherwise, what’s going to happen is executives will say, ‘Oh this show was not successful,’” Ocampo said. “‘Therefore, we can never have another show about Native Hawaiian people.’”
Civil engineering student Nguyen, who asked to leave their first name out, had not seen “Chief of War” but expressed having shows created that do not necessarily cater to the “popular audience,” or an English-speaking audience can shape the creative direction of a show with unique ideas.
“There’s subtitles nowadays, so there is not necessarily a reason to cater to just an English-(speaking) audience,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen is Vietnamese and said they struggle to relate to the “Asian- American” representation available in TV shows and movies, as the actors are often Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
“I feel isolated in a sense,” Nguyen said. “It is not like sad, but the feeling of having seen something you won’t experience, is an odd feeling.”
As a Vietnamese person, Nguyen also explained what they have observed from their relatives’ experiences in the United States and how they choose to define them.
They have a lot of trauma from their experiences, according to Nguyen.
While they are grateful for their life in America, there is still a disconnect, Nguyen expressed.
It differs a lot from what Nguyen was taught in school, where Vietnam often is “saved” by the U.S.
“America wasn’t a good thing for them,” Nguyen said. “America didn’t necessarily save them.”
As for Leah Primicias, a Biochem major who also had not seen Chief of War, felt like it could be exciting for people to see media and TV shows that reflect their cultural identity.
“I think excitement is a good feeling,” she said. “I’ve definitely felt it, the belonging.”
Although it can be potentially difficult to gain firsthand knowledge of Hawaiian and Pasifika cultures at CPP, students can learn more from the “Chief of War” podcast lead by Thomas “Pa’a” Sibbett, the executive producer, head writer and co-creator of “Chief of War.”
In one of the episodes, Sibbet sat down with surfer, actor and producer Brian Keaulana, where they talked about Hawaiian customs and how they incorporated that into their day-to-day filming.
Even though the project was going to feature Hawaiian stories and was intended to be told authentically, it was important for them to still address the land they were on and ask for permission.
“We are already immersed in our culture, but how can we immerse ourselves deeper?” Keaulana said.
Sibbet emphasized the surreal experience of Kanaka kids seeing themselves in TV shows.
According to KHON2, to being considered ‘Kanaka” is someone who has Native Hawaiian blood in them and whose ancestors are Native Hawaiian.
“It is not an awkward thought to want to represent my people in film,” Sibbett said. “There are more stories being developed in Hawaii.”
According to Keaulana, more Hawaiians have become involved in producing stories like Chief of War.
“The more we do it, the more we realize it’s accessible,” Sibbet said. “It’s not even a question.”
