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In ‘Chief of War,’ the fate of the kingdom of Hawai’i rests on an unstable axis as volatile power threatens to change hands. King Kahekili is on a quest to erase the four kingdoms’ bloodline to declare himself as the prophecized Great King. Thus, when an internal power struggle sparks between the Kohala and the Kaʻu districts, he’s eager to lend his forces to the latter, hoping to kill two birds with one stone. Nonetheless, little does he know that his old nemesis, Ka’iana, has found a place for himself in Kamehameha’s council. Furthermore, after a fateful trip overseas into the outer world, he has managed to amass a cavalry of the paleskin’s weapons of choice. As such, in the season 1 finale, episode 9, titled ‘The Black Desert,’ the two districts enter an unforgiving arena, armed with their strengths, advantages, and the blessings of the Gods. However, in deciding the fate of their homeland, Ka’iana and his family have to put their own demises at risk. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Kamehameha Appoints Ka’ahumanu as a Member of His Council
Through Nahi’s murder, Keoua’s Chief of War, ‘Opunui, all but declares Ka’u District’s intention to wage a battle over Kamehameha and his people. As such, the peace-favoring Chief has no choice but to prepare his own troops for the inevitable violent confrontation. His vengeful cousin has many advantages over him. For one, the precarious alliance he has struck with Kahekili has strengthened his district’s power in numbers. Furthermore, this shift in the tide has also compelled other Hawai’i chiefs to pledge their allegiance to him. Yet, Kamehameha has tricks of his own hidden up his sleeve. Ka’iana, who was once duped into waging war on O’ahu, has recognized the need for a unified Hawai’i after witnessing the horrors of the colonization of pale-skinned people.
Therefore, Ka’iana has pledged his own loyalty to the Kohala Chief. As such, Kamehameha and his men now have the advantage of the red-mouthed weapons, which make up for their smaller numbers. In part, the Chief has his wife, Ka’ahumanu, to thank for this turn of events. It’s her camaraderie and connection with the Maui Chief that has compelled him to extend his trust toward her husband in the first place. Moreover, she has repeatedly provided counsel to Kamehameha, strengthening his alliance with Ka’iana. Therefore, it’s evident that Ka’ahumanu is an invaluable political asset not only to her husband but to the future of his kingdom. For the same reason, before waging the war against Keoua, Kamehameha decides to bestow a coveted position on his wife on the royal council. This cements the substantial political power the woman weilds.
Ka’iana’s Family Rallies Behind Him in Preparation for the War
Ka’iana and his family have been a unified unit from the beginning. Alongside sharing their lives, they also share the burdens of the war with each other. For the same reason, the eldest brother’s assumed death in the aftermath of the battle in O’ahu takes a particular toll on everyone else. While his brother, Nahi, stews in his anger and grief, his wife, Kupuohi, and his other brother, Namake, find some solace and comfort in each other. Naturally, this changes the family’s internal dynamics once Ka’iana finally returns home. Initially, Namake and Kupuohi simply revert to their old lives, boarding up the doors to their fleeting romance and allowing it to go unmentioned.
Nonetheless, Nahi’s death shifts everything for the worse. It plummets the district, and thus, his family, to the edges of inevitable war. Namake realizes that he cannot go into battle with such a significant thing left unspoken between him and his brother. As such, he decides to put everything out in the open with Ka’iana. In turn, the latter doesn’t hold any grudges toward his brother or his wife’s actions. He understands the weight of the grief they had experienced and doesn’t condemn them for finding moments of happiness. Furthermore, he knows that neither of them had bad intentions, as evidenced by their prompt return to old dynamics following his return. Thus, the brothers leave no bad blood between them before heading into battle. Moreover, in light of Nahi’s brutal death, his lover and Kupuohi’s sister, Heke, decides to take up arms herself and participate in the battle to avenge his death.
Chief of War Ending: Does Ka’iana Die?
As the Kohala and Ka’u districts’ armies step onto the battlefield, the Black Desert, the fates of every warrior remain in peril. In the lead-up to the battle, the two troops engage in chants, with the War chiefs from each side stepping up to tarnish the other’s name and reputation. Afterward, war violence breaks out, and Keoua’s men lead the inciting charge. Nonetheless, Kamehameha’s men expertly obliterate the first batch through the long-distance advantage provided by the guns. Soon enough, the battlefield begins to be littered with numerous dead bodies on both sides. While Kohala has a weaponry advantage, Ka’u’s numbers, intermixed with Maui warriors, almost make it a balanced fight on both ends. Eventually, the latter’s warriors diminish to the point where Ka’iana finds a clear path for a direct confrontation against Keoua.
Thus, the two warriors find themselves atop a volcanic hill, facing one another and their destinies. Keoua has so far been entertaining the favor of the Fire Gods, who had seemingly announced their favor for Ka’u with the eruption that had taken place days prior. However, now hordes of his army that await on the other side are drowned in the volcano’s wrath as the ground gives in under their feet. As such, after begging for mercy to unlistening Gods, Keoua has no choice but to accept his fate and face the wrong end of Ka’iana’s gun head-on. Yet another eruption between the two warriors prevents the latter from pulling his trigger. Instead, the lava decides Keoua’s fate, flinging him backward. Although the same happens to Ka’iana, he manages to survive the explosion. A desperate Ka’ahumanu realizes the same with relief after hastening to his side as he wakes up from the near-fatal blow.
Does Kamehameha Defeat Keoua? Does He Become the King?
Once Keoua submits to his fate, the outcome of the war becomes evident. Kamehameha, the last Chief standing, wins the battle, asserting his the dismantling of his cousin’s vengeful rule. Yet, the path ahead of the Chief likely remains complicated. The battle secures his and his district’s safety from the invasion of their own kingdom’s separate sect. Furthermore, the fact that he has bested the man who inherited the throne from the previous king of Hawai’i, Kalaniopu’u, suggests that he would be the one to take on the sacred title now. Yet, this would likely be a significant process. Still, Kamehameha has the benefit of the ancient prophecy by his side.
The prophecy declares the coming of a Great King who would unify the four kingdoms of O’ahu, Maui, Kauaʻi, and Hawai’i. Kahekili has claimed the title for himself, insisting that he’s the prophesied warrior who is meant to rule over the Islands. However, his methods of hostility and aggression look less like unification and more like conquering. He isn’t solely interested in the kingdom’s future. Instead, he wants to cement his own legacy and reputation as a Great King. In turn, Kamehameha, the other Chief who is believed to be the foretold King, champions the laws of peace and tolerance with his whole heart. Now that he has won the battle against Keoua, these same principles will likely be tested as he prepares the kingdom of Hawai’i for the war that the Maui Chief will surely bring to its shores. It is only once he defeats Kahekili and his agenda that he will be able to embrace the title of King.
Do Heke and Kupuohi Die?
In the battle between Ka’u and Kohala, most of the central characters find themselves in the midst of a dangerous battlefield. Heke stands out among everyone else as a relatively new warrior. Her sister, Kupuohi, has fought alongside her husband and brother-in-laws for a long time, always entering the battlefield with them. Nonetheless, the younger sister has never dabbled in the art of war. Yet, Nahi’s brutal death forces her to bring out her own aggressive and violent streak. Ever since her lover’s death, Heke has become desperate to exact revenge in his name, delivering his killer to their own fate. Yet, the fact remains that while she is only a novice fighter, her enemy, ‘Opunui, is a feared warrior and a Chief of War. Even so, as the duo’s path crosses on the battlefield, Heke refuses to back down.
She bravely faces ‘Opunui on her own, receiving blows and dealing them all the same. Yet, her lack of technique, experience, and strength remains evident when faced with the latter’s prowess. Nevertheless, despite the dynamics of the fight, the young woman isn’t alone and without support. After losing sight of her sister, Kupuohi begins frantically looking for her, calling out her name. This attracts the attention of Ka’ahumanu, who manages to spot the younger sister in the nick of time. Therefore, before ‘Opunui can deliver a deathly blow, the councilwoman shoots him in the knee, taking away one crucial advantage. Afterward, Heke is able to overpower her injured enemy, leaving him for the dead. Inversely, during the last threads of the battle, Kupuohi also becomes injured, catching a spear in her torso. Fortunately, Namake is around to steer her away from death. In the aftermath, the spear leaves the warrior with a devastating injury. Yet, she manages to survive the worst of it.
What is King Kahekili’s Plan?
Now that Kamehameha has declared victory over his cousin, Keoua, it naturally poses a new threat to King Kahekili’s plans of conquest. So far, the biggest advantage that the kingdom of Maui had over Hawai’i was its disunited status. The political infighting in the kingdom made it vulnerable to outside influences. Furthermore, Keoua’s decision to offer an alliance to the Maui King offered the latter another upper hand. If the Ka’u Chief had managed to defeat Kamehameha on his own, it would have made it all the easier for Kahekili to grasp control over the other kingdom. Nonetheless, under Kamehameha’s rule, the kingdom only stands to become more unified and powerful.
Kahekili realizes the same after one of his men, Lima, returns from the Black Desert with the news of Kamehameha’s victory. Yet, a different key detail catches the majority of the King’s attention. Previously, like his family, he had assumed Ka’iana to be dead and washed away at sea. The battle’s news tells him that the Chief of War is very much alive and has gathered new supplies for the Hawai’i Chief. Yet, instead of letting the news shake him, Kahekili is happy to hear of Ka’iana’s survival. The Maui chief is high on power and has a single-minded focus on fulfilling the prophecy at any cost. The enemy warrior’s survival means he would be able to collect his bones, setting another piece of the prophesied puzzle in place. Thus, in the aftermath of Keoua’s death, Kahekili only looks forward to waging his own war against Kamehameha.
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