It’s weird that the Hawaiian chiefs learnt to speak English so fast in Chief of War, but they had their reason

Apple TV’s Chief of War has been winning hearts with its narrative of the 18th-century struggles of Hawaii. It follows Jason Momoa’s Kaʻiana, who gets entangled in the conflict between the four kingdoms in the Hawaiian Islands, while also dealing with the onset of Western influence. The show has focused especially on depicting the historical facts of the changing times of the people, without losing cultural significance.

For instance, most of the time, the characters are seen speaking the native language of Ōlelo Hawaiʻi. However, as the story progresses, we have seen the chiefs, such as Kaʻiana and later an indigenous woman named Vai, learn to speak English to control the trade relations between the English and the Hawaiians.

This change was fast and surprising. However, as seen in Episode 3, it is mostly done to protect their culture and control the Western influence.

More on this in our story.

Chief of War: Learning English to control trade relations

When it comes to an authentic depiction of History, Chief of War has been doing a plausible job. From portraying the historical facts accurately to showing the culture of the indigenous people, including using their native language as the only mode of communication among the characters, the show excels in all these elements.

However, we have also seen Momoa’s Kaʻiana speak in English in Episode 3 of Chief of War, learning it pretty fast. One of the reasons behind Kaʻiana learning the language to be able to communicate with the British was his curiosity, as he wanted to use the guns and the gunpowder for his people.

He wanted to learn to use a rifle and use it to balance the power between him and Kahekili, to make them stop waging war among the kingdoms. This mostly stems from his guilt that he still hasn’t gotten over after helping Kahekili in attacking one of the kingdoms.

Other than Kaʻiana, Vai, an indigenous woman, is also seen speaking fluent English after living in a Spanish colony for a while. Her reason to learn English as well as Spanish is to start a proper trade relationship with the foreign forces. She even asks Kaʻiana’s help to convince other chiefs to join in and begin trading with the foreigners.

Vai is smart and knows that even if they resist the Western influence, they are bound to reach the Islands. Therefore, learning their language at the initial stage of their arrival might be helpful for them, as they can control the trade routes and make it a fruitful situation for themselves as well.

Chief of War: Jason Momoa’s comments on chiefs learning English

Another reason for chiefs to learn English would be to understand the foreigners better. The knowledge about the weaponry of the English might be sensed as a threat to the indigenous people, which would later prompt them to learn the language of the enemy.

In an interview with the Globe and Mail, Momoa shared the same sentiment and talked about how English was needed for the chiefs to understand the enemy better. He said:

"Some characters would learn English, like Ka’iana, as any chief of war would. You have to know the enemy’s language."

Therefore, learning the language quickly for the chiefs and other characters in Chief of War might be considered a forced necessity to actually protect their own culture and people from the Western influence, which was catching up to them by controlling the trade dialogue, and also to learn about their weaponry, as knowing about the strengths of the opposing force is a must in a changing world.

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