Why is Ka’iana trying to purchase fire arms in Chief of War? Details explored

Episode 3 of Chief of War reverses the tide. With Hawaiʻi gearing up to take on the next wave of trouble, Ka’iana tracks across the ocean to his next mission, that is get guns, go home, right his mistake.

Understanding how easily muskets could change the rules of the game (a lesson he learns personally on his hunting trip in Alaska), Ka’iana realizes it is no longer enough to have steel and courage if they have to fight the foes who have gunpowder at their disposal. As the drama in Chief of War builds up, it is obvious that his mission is not all about muscle. It is also about math: fire rate, range, and intimidation, all adding up to advantages he must have to overcome Kahekili, the opponent whose rise he so disastrously set in motion.

Chief Of War shows how he discovers another truth in hectic Zamboanga: The guns cost money and, more than that, they cost compromise. Stepping into the picture is Vai, a shrewd Hawaiian who offers to sell firearms in exchange of sandalwood, which makes Ka’iana choose between pride and protection.

In the meantime, danger brews in Chief of War: a rogue crewman steals the maps to Hawaiʻi, slave traders come to seize Ka’iana’s friend Tony, and Western greed begins spreads in the islands. This takes Ka’iana’s gun grabbing to a step beyond vengeance. He does it out of desperate necessity to strike a balance of power before the colonizers and Kahekili take over.

Correcting past mistakes

In this episode of Chief of War, we get a glimpse of how Ka’iana once assisted Kahekili in conquering Oahu, which triggered a series of disastrous events. That is the guilt Ka’iana still carries, constantly looking for ways to right his wrongs. Hawaiʻi now faces the the risk of Kahekili, and a change of succession imminently brings Kamehameha at the point of a head-on collision with invasion. Ka’iana cannot undo the past, but he can alter the math of his next fight, hence his fixation with firearms in Chief of War.

He does not buy guns to show that he is tough. He buys the ammunition to crack the advantage that Kahekili has, and to atone for past mistakes. The drama in Chief of War sets this up through cross-cutting stakes back home (Kaʻahumanu’s political marriage, Moku’s quiet planning and plotting, and Kamehameha getting ready, equipped in silence) as Ka’iana gathers reasons to return.

The episode in Chief of War even throws in humor with Ka’iana appearing in full war-chief regalia to purchase a load of guns with pocket change. However, the joke has a message: He will not cease until he is able to bring back enough firepower to change Hawaiʻian odds.

Gun lessons 101

Ka’iana is introduced to the weapons before he ends up purchasing them. Tony gives him a little English and the fundamentals of using muskets. During a hunting expedition in Alaska he gets an eye-opening experience of the destructive power and useful nature of rifles. However, when he gets to Zamboanga, he faces a brutal reality: He cannot afford the number of weapons he plans with the amount given to him.

It is at this point in Chief of War that Vai comes in. She sees his headdress, realizes his mission and suggests a risky proposal to harmonize with the captain. As a price for the guns, Ka’iana will have to pay with sandalwood and recoup the expenses. Kaiana does not like it. To him, the idea feels like selling out. However, Vai makes a good point: the European trade system is on its way whether the Hawaiʻians like it or not. Unless they establish the rules now, they will be oppressed by it in future.

The bigger chessboard in Chief of War

Ka'iana in Chief of War embarks on a journey to acquire guns at a time Europeans are viewing Hawaiʻi as something to take control of. Marley, a bitter member of the crew, steals charts to the islands. Tony attempts to interfere and is brutally attacked. Vai, a woman who has lived with colonizers, reads a room: Guns aren’t only weapons, but they are currency in an economy that is about to consume the Pacific. Her gun-for-sandal proposal is not exactly romantic, it is triage.

Trending

Here the motive of Ka'iana changes. Well, the guns are definitely for Kahekili, but they are also for what’s on the horizon: vessels bearing flags, ledgers and cannons. Hawaiians are surrounded on one hand by civil war and on the other hand by colonization.With guns, they at least get a say in what happens to their land and future.

For more such insights on Chief of War, keep following SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback