Some First Thoughts on the Historical Accuracies or Liberties Taken by Chief of War in No Particular Order (Please skip this post if you don’t want spoilers)
1) I really enjoyed the foreshadowing of Ka’ahumanu’s role in breaking the kapu system, first with her getting her uncle to teach her the men’s star knowledge and secondly with the priestess saying that the Akua are afraid of her because she will “break this world.” It’s so good and adds a dramatic element to the series both for Hawaiian history nerds AND casual viewers who may not know about Ka’ahumanu’s history and will be drawn into the intrigue.
2) Kahekilli - so I know his portrayal is not entirely accurate and I would love more kanaka folks on here to weigh in on their thoughts of him. What stood out to me was the minor fudging of the details of the bone house…while Kahekilli was known to be a ruthless statesman and conqueror of Maui and Oahu, it was one of his men who built the bone house and not him directly, although he was responsible for the casualties that led to its creation. The show clearly needed a good antagonist and I think that Kahekilli provided one given his historical track record of being a feared warrior and statesmen. The real Kahekilli was so feared and respected because of his wars that Kamehameha the Great was advised to not attempt to conquer Maui until after he died. Only when Kahekilli died and his brother and son Kalanikupele (Kupele on the show) began a succession crisis was Kamehameha able to successfully take Maui. I think the show did a decent job of showing why he was so feared, on west Maui there are many diving spots reported to be favorite as the dude was an avid thrill seeker well into his fifties and sixties. I am curious as to how the show will treat his somewhat anticlimatic demise and transition to having Kupele be Kamehameha’s main rival, given that he is such a formidable antagonist.
3) I thought the incorporation of Tony’s character was neat, showing that transpacific trade by imperial powers often involved not just white men but a huge labor source of Asian, Black, and Polynesian sailors who moved with the trade along the circuits of empire. I thought that Ka’iana’s friendship with Tony and his side plot of rescuing him was a great way of showing the types of cross-cultural solidarities that most likely developed between some of these minority merchant sailors and Hawaiian people.
4) Keoua - now this for me was one of the more glaring historical deviations in the script but I can see how the show runners wanted to spice up his downfall a bit in order to close season 1 off with a big battle amidst an active lava flow. I do appreciate that they kept the original reasons for the conflict between Keoua and Kamehameha intact (the cutting of the coconut grove, and the anger for receiving the war god Ku), but Keoua’s death was a bit different than portrayed on screen. It is true that Keoua attempted to mount an attack and his army was lost to lava on their way to bother Kamehameha, but during this attack Keoua survived. The lava was more of an accidental loss rather than a climatic moment in the middle of a battle, and was seen as a sign that Keoua was not in the akuas favor. He was later killed by Kamehameha and offered as a sacrifice to the war god Ku at the Puʻukoholā Heiau, a historic temple built by Kamehameha and one of the most famous historic sites in Hawaii today. There was also a minor other incident during this time in which the chief of Hilo claimed independence from Kamehameha and Keoua and there were 3 rival factions, but I think the show cut things down for runtime and clarity.
Overall, I felt they were able to take some artistic liberties on the historical timeline really well to make the sequence of events more dramatic, and I’m sooooo excited to see the Battle of the Red Mouthed Gun on the channel, the siege of Waikiki and the Nu’anu Pali battle take shape on screen. I loved seeing all the Hawaiian cast members talk about their connection to the history and culture, it was so beautiful and if Apple TV doesn’t renew this beautiful show I am going to sue
