Despite having a leading role in Chief of War Kaina Makua remains first, and foremost, a kalo farmer
By Moanikeʻala Nabarro
Kaina Makua wasn’t seeking the spotlight when he showed up at a state canoe paddling regatta in 2019. The University of Mānoa alumnus was there doing what he loved, coaching Waimea High School’s paddling team. But among the crowd that day was actor Jason Momoa, who saw something more: the future face of a king.
That night, Momoa approached Makua with a bold idea, asking if he’d consider playing legendary Hawaiʻi ruler Kamehameha the Great in an upcoming film. Makua, a Kauaʻi native, laughed it off, unsure if the Hollywood star was serious.
But Momoa didn’t forget.
“Three years later, in 2022, he called me up and said, ‘I told you; I told you,’ and I was like, ‘What did you tell me?’” Makua said with a laugh. “He said, ‘I told you. You are going to play Kamehameha.’”
Makua stars alongside Momoa in Chief of War, the nine-episode Apple TV+ series that premiered on August 1 and concluded on September 19.
The series tells the story of Kaʻiana, a Kauaʻi aliʻi and warrior who supports Kamehameha’s push to unify the Hawaiian Islands. Filmed in Hawaiʻi and Aotearoa (New Zealand), the series also brings to life other leading figures from that era, such as Kahekili, Kēoua, Keʻeaumoku and Kaʻahumanu.
Makua, a cultural practitioner fluent in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi and trained as an ʻōlapa hula (dancer), was hesitant at first, not having an acting background.
His days were already full, dedicating his life to empowering ʻōpio in West Kauaʻi through ʻāina rehabilitation and food system revitalization centered around kalo production through his nonprofit, Kumano i ke Ala.
After deep reflection, he eventually embraced the role. He dove deep into research and his own genealogy, which connects him to Kamehameha through his father’s side. Along the way, Makua developed a deeper view of the revered aliʻi, often admired, but also questioned for his approach.
“Coming from his perspective and stepping into this leadership role, it was clear that he did what was necessary for Hawaiʻi, not for himself,” Makua said.
He discovered parallels in his own life.
“If you’re a real leader and you’re really making change, you understand the kuleana and the weight of that. You’re always going to get ridiculed, you’re always gonna be under the microscope.”
On set, Makua found himself surrounded by hundreds of crew members working behind the scenes to bring the historical drama to life. But when the cameras rolled, he leaned into something deeply personal – his own life experiences.
“It’s all everyday emotions for all of us. I mean we all get that. We go up and down. We go left and right. We spin around in circles,” Makua said. “Being around other actors and watching them made my job feel way easier to settle into.”
Makua carries that same sense of purpose into his work off-screen. Within the past decade, he’s poured his mana into growing his nonprofit, expanding from 10 to nearly 100 acres of restored agricultural ʻāina across four sites on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu.
More than 3,500 ʻōpio have taken part in its ʻāina-based education programs. Through its commercial brand, Aloha ʻĀina Poi Co., the group processes and distributes more than 70,000 pounds of fresh poi across Hawaiʻi each year.
“It’s more apparent how disconnected we are as a people – not even as Hawaiians just as human beings. And it’s only getting worse. Kumano i ke Ala is here to uplift our people and to help save the world through aloha ʻāina work – love of the land,” Makua said.
Much of what he now teaches ʻōpio, especially about the many varieties of kalo and traditional planting techniques, comes from the time he spent immersed at Ka Papa Loʻi o Kānewai, the loʻi kalo adjacent to Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at UH Mānoa.
Makua often reflects with gratitude on the ʻike passed down to him during that time during which he earned a bachelor’s in Hawaiian studies and a master’s in education and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.
As for his acting debut in Chief of War, Makua hopes it opens doors for other native peoples to tell their stories on a global platform.
“I hope that Indigenous populations across the world understand this is a foot in the door. It’s not going to end here. I hope they understand that it’s not just for Hawaiʻi,” Makua said. “This for all Indigenous people because we all get moʻolelo. This is how we all can share.”
This is an updated adaptation of an article originally printed in University of Hawaiʻi News on July 15, 2025, under the title “Jason Momoa Casts UH Alum in Chief of War TV Series.”
Journalist Moanikeʻala Nabarro is a spokesperson with the UH Office of Communications and UH News.
