Aahana Swrup
In ‘Chief of War,’ the kingdom of Hawai’i stands on the precipice of internal war while an outside enemy looms like a dark cloud on the horizon. However, as Ka’iana’s worldly travels have revealed, there’s an impending threat that’s even bigger: the Paleskin ships with greedy captains and crew abroad. During his time in Zamboanga, the war chief got to know about the true horrors of colonialism and what it could mean for the future of his people. For the same reason, once he makes it back home, he’s eager to offer his weapons and his might to Kamehameha, the Kohulu district’s Chief. Nonetheless, the leader, who advocates for peace, remains dubious of Ka’iana’s counsel. Thus, he retains his beliefs once a new foreign ship helmed by Captain Metcalfe sails to the kingdom’s shores. Nonetheless, despite his faith in others’ goodwill, the new ship’s presence only invites added danger to the lives of his people. Vai, the Hawaiian woman who left the Islands years ago, only to return again with Ka’iana, knows about this threat perhaps better than anyone. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Vai Returns to Hawai’i and Reunites With Her Family
Vai’s character enters the story during Ka’iana’s adventures in the outside world. Although the Chief accidentally ends up on Mears’ ship, he soon discovers the wonders of the white man’s weapons and decides to undertake a quest of his own. Back in O’ahu, he had allowed himself to be manipulated into fighting for the unjust and bloodthirsty Maui king, Kahekili. Therefore, he’s now eager to find enough weapons to arm the warriors of Hawai’i and unite the kingdoms under the name of a deserving Chief. Consequently, he sets out on his mission to source the weapons while in Zamboanga. There, he runs into Vai, a woman who surprisingly speaks a familiar tongue. As it turns out, the woman fled from Hawai’i years ago in pursuit of a better life outside of the politics of royal blood and commoners.
Although she doesn’t regret making her escape, Vai has some hangups about abandoning her family, including her newborn son. Furthermore, over the course of her travels, she has witnessed the profit-hungry ways of the Paleskin men, which compel them to make a trade out of even human beings. Thus, much like Ka’iana, she also wants to give her people an advantage before the ships of colonialism eventually arrive at their shores. Thus, she proposes a deal between the Maui Chief and Captain Mears. While the latter can help arm the warriors of Hawai’i in exchange for Ka’iana negotiating a sandalwood deal between his people and the Captain. In turn, this helps her make her own way back to the Islands, where Vai ultimately reunites with her family.
Vai Finds a Noble But Tragic End
In episode 7 of ‘Chief of War,’ titled ‘Day of Spilled Brains,’ a great tragedy strikes the shores of Hawai’i. Marley guides Captain Metcalfe to the kingdom with the intention of turning its people and resources into profits. Initially, Kamehameha receives the Paleskin ship with peace, keeping an open mind about their motivations. Nonetheless, Ka’iana, who is familiar with Marley and his villainous ways, knows better than to trust these men. This leads to a fair amount of friction between him and Chief, especially when the warrior decides to go against Kamehameha’s wishes and attacks Metcalfe’s ship in the dark of the night. Even though this attempt is foiled, it compels Kamehame to simply turn the ship and its crew away to avoid any further internal conflict.
Nonetheless, Metcalfe doesn’t take this decision kindly. Instead of leaving as suggested, he reroutes his ship to make his way toward a different bay of the island. Thus, his ship comes into the eyeline of an outer village, mostly populated with civilians. As a display of his anger, Metcalfe orders his men to launch nails full of cannons at the shore. Even though Vai, a new resident of this village, recognizes the danger of the ship, her warning comes too late. Thus, the people of the village, men, women, and children, are slaughtered by the attack with little to no chance of survival. During the massacre, Vai attempts to help people run away from the shore and take any cover possible. As such, she notices a shell-shocked young girl standing directly in the line of fire. In the end, the woman puts herself around the child as a human shield to save the child’s life by sacrificing her own. Ultimately, she becomes another victim of the Paleskin men’s wrath. Yet, she fights for her people and their protection until the very end.
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