Who Was Ka‘iana? A Historian's Perspective on the Real "Chief of War"
When Jason Momoa and Thomas Paʻa Sibbett’s Chief of War premiered on Apple TV in August 2025, large audiences were introduced to Ka‘iana, a Hawaiian chief (ali‘i) who lived over 200 years ago.
Historian and author David Aiona Chang invites us to consider the deeper significance of what happens when history meets mainstream media. How can a spark of curiosity bring us beyond the screen, into the archives, and back to the present with new insights and perspectives?
Website
Learn about the real-life Ka‘iana through Chang's website, Ka‘iana: Voyage of a Chief.
A Different Take
As a Native Hawaiian who grew up in North America far from Hawai‘i, Chang studied Native American history before turning his focus to the history of Hawai‘i and its people (Kānaka Maoli). With his research broadening, Chang began to challenge the myth of Indigenous passivity. “They didn't spend their history sitting around waiting for Captain Cook or Columbus to show up,” he remarks, but rather, “they were active, and they continue to be actively engaged with the world and understanding it, and finding and shaping their place in it.”
Noting the public interest in Momoa and Sibbett’s series, Chang is excited about the conversations arising from Chief of War and its artistic portrayal of Ka‘iana and Hawaiian culture. “Ka‘iana… he personified that intellectual, global agency of Native Hawaiian people. He was an explorer of the world.”
Driven to make Ka‘iana’s in-depth, factual story more accessible to curious minds, Chang created the website Ka‘iana: Voyage of a Chief. As he sees it, “Chief of War draws on history, but because it is a piece of dramatic art, it imagines details and plotlines. This website offers a different take on Kaʻiana.”
Representation in Popular Media
In seeking a balance of quality entertainment and historical integrity, Chief of War offers a layered portrayal of Hawaiian culture and history. And for Chang, the impact of hearing the Hawaiian language (ōlelo) spoken so widely was immediate. “I was really glad to see the show made,” he says. “I’m very excited to see the language used. It’s great to see the whole show mostly in Hawaiian, and it’s really good Hawaiian.”
He also noted the care taken in bringing the visuals in the show to life. From the houses and canoes they made to the clothing they chose, the production’s attention to detail stood out. “The sets were gorgeous,” Chang says. As for the portrayal of Ka‘iana: “Momoa plays him in a very charismatic, very emotional style.”
Recognizing the series as the piece of art it is rather than a direct retelling of history, Chang emphasized his respect for the time, care, and intention behind the production. In his view, “Sibbett, Momoa, and their team decided that they wanted to tell a story that would be very compelling today and would also connect really deeply with Hawaiian history.”
But that doesn’t mean the work is above reproach. Chang found the series’ representation of Hawaiian women troublesome (“female chiefs who were famous for their powerful size are portrayed as thin and dainty”), had qualms about the way it depicted a wedding and consummation ceremony, and disagreed with the imaginary picture it painted of Zamboanga in the Philippines as “some sort of Orientalist sin city and slave port.”
Chang concludes, “I think there's a responsibility for creatives like this to portray with as much accuracy, truth, and dignity as they possibly can.” At the same time, he recognizes the need for artistic license: “They are artists, and they need to tell a story that's going to work for an audience, and so [it’s about] finding that balance.”
Scholarship and Public Understanding
As Chang explains it, public scholarship means meeting people where they are, especially when curiosity has been sparked. Rather than critique art and media from afar, Chang believes scholars can support creators by offering knowledge, encouragement, and historical depth. “We can be part of the chorus of voices that encourages responsible art, especially when we're talking about Indigenous people, racialized people, people like Hawaiians,” he says.
His approach isn’t about gatekeeping; it’s about making room for generosity. As scholars, “we can offer research that enriches the audience’s experience,” Chang says. “That’s really what my website is there for. It’s really for somebody who just stumbled upon the show and was like, ‘Whoa, this is cool. Who is this dude?’ And they Google him, and then hopefully they find my website, and they say, ‘Mind blown.’”
The First Step: Curiosity
What does Chang hope viewers will take away from the show and his writing? “A hunger to learn more about Hawai‘i, astonishment at the richness and beauty of Hawaiian culture, and a deep curiosity.”
For those who feel that spark of curiosity, Chang’s website offers an accessible and compelling way to learn more. Through carefully researched narratives, events, and locations, the site invites fans of Chief of War on an in-depth exploration of Ka‘iana and how he symbolizes Indigenous intellect, agency, and global engagement. In the meeting place between art and scholarship, Chang encourages the curious mind to dive deeper into the “dynamism [that] Hawai‘i is and what we as Hawaiian people, Kānaka, are.”
Interactive Map
The interactive map overlays modern geographical data on a hand-drawn 1790 map to allow you to explore the Ka‘iana tooroutek from Hawai‘i to China, the Philippines, Palau, Alaska, Vancouver Island, and back to Hawai‘i. Learn more about using this map.
Meet the Scholar
David Aiona Chang is a Native Hawaiian historian of Indigenous people, colonialism, borders, and migration in Hawai‘i and North America, focusing especially on the histories of Native American and Native Hawaiian people. His work moves between hyperlocal and global scales while centering the perspectives and experiences of Indigenous people and integrating close textual analysis, granular social history, theoretically informed analysis of race, gender, sexuality, and nationalism, and Indigenous epistemologies and methodologies.
This story was written by Deborah Sventek, an undergraduate student in CLA.
