The British Are Coming in the 'Chief of War' Trailer
Most Western history courses treat the Americas and Oceania as if the history of those countries started when white men first set foot on them. It's only in the last 50 years or so that the centuries-old cultures that were already there have even begun to have their stories included. Thus far, the Indigenous tribes of North America and the Aboriginal tribes of Australia have received the bulk of the attention, with the Maori of New Zealand running a distant third. However, with the premiere of Apple TV+'s Chief of War, the history of the Kānaka Maoli of Hawai'i will finally get the big-budget series treatment for the first time.
The series comes from Jason Momoa, who leveraged his clout with the streaming service after three years of starring in one of Apple TV+'s original four series, See, to get it made. It's one of two period pieces that focus on non-white stories debuting in the summer of 2025 (the other is Sterling K Brown's Washington Black).
More importantly, it is groundbreaking for things that shouldn't be groundbreaking in the 21st century, but are. The series features a majority Polynesian cast with dialogue in the Hawaiian language, focusing on how the pressure of the British arrival (and that of the Americans who followed) forced various clans and tribes to put aside their differences... or be conquered by those who recognized the impending danger. It's a story that has never been given the big-budget period piece treatment before, and one look at the trailer will have you agreeing that this is long overdue.
