4 days ago
Hawaiian Woman Response To Chief Of War Language Complaints
Earlier this month, Chief of War premiered on Apple TV+ and completely blew me away. The historical drama focuses on the unification of the Hawaiian islands, mainly from the point of view of Kaʻiana (played by Jason Momoa). As a Polynesian woman, I grew emotional seeing Hawaiian history and culture represented on screen. And so well done, too! From the cinematography to the acting to the costumes, you can feel how much love and care went into the making of this show.
Since Chief of War is Jason's longtime passion project, I wouldn't expect anything less!
And to hear all the actors speaking ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian language) — goosebumps! I never in a million years imagined we'd get a show like this on a major streaming platform in a Pasifika language. What a powerful decision to kick off the series in the language these historical figures actually spoke, one with a complicated history that's being revitalized today.
As of the time of writing, Apple TV+ has released three episodes, with more English in the most recent episode due to the historical events explored in the show.
So, imagine my surprise when I came across quite a few social media posts criticizing Chief of War for not being in English. Some people were apparently annoyed about reading subtitles, with this X (formerly Twitter) user writing, "What morons make a show for an American audience and put it in a completely foreign language. If I wanted to read, it would be a book."
Note: The image of Jason Momoa in the original tweet was replaced here due to photo rights.
As more and more of these complaints made the rounds online, some Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) social media users began pushing back against this terrible take. One such person was Lily Hiʻilani Okimura, a 27-year-old substitute teacher and content creator. In a video posted to TikTok, she criticized the above tweet and explained some Americans might not be the target audience, but that doesn't mean other cultures don't deserve TV shows in their own language.
In another video, she gave her review of the first few episodes and emphasized the importance of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in the series, saying, "It is not treated as a background element. It is foundational to the storytelling."
To learn more, I reached out to Lily, who was "extremely impressed" by Chief of War. She told BuzzFeed, "After watching the first couple episodes and hearing it completely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, my jaw was dropped, and I felt as if I was immersed into the world. Of course, the show will eventually transition more into English as the story progresses and events in our history takes place, but having the beginning of this show and whole episodes be set in Hawaiian was amazing. And ESPECIALLY for Apple TV+?! Wouldn't have thought they would've approved. Jason Momoa and [series co-creator] Thomas Paʻa Sibbett must've fought really hard for this!"
Lily began learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in 2020 while studying for her MFA in Hawaiian Theatre. Not only does the Hawaiian language in the show give her the opportunity to follow along and practice, but it "just makes sense" due to the plot and setting, she said. Additionally, this "further normalizes and legitimizes ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to the outside world and for folks who may have only heard a few of the words in our language like 'aloha' and 'mahalo.'"
"Hawaiian is a real language, a Polynesian language from the Austronesian language family," she continued. "It was spoken in our lands for generations before colonialism, and we were forced to speak only English. The Hawaiian language ban affected many ʻohana, including my own, where they couldn't speak it at schools or in public in order to assimilate into this new (forced) American way of living. I'm the first in my family to relearn our mother tongue, and I hope to teach it to my future children, enroll them into Hawaiian Immersion school, and that they will be fluent, and they can teach me!"
"Having the show in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi also brings cultural authenticity, allowing viewers to experience the story through the same lens and worldview our kūpuna (ancestors) did, instead of filtering it through English for outside convenience. It contributes to language revitalization by making ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi visible and functional in a mainstream setting, inspiring more people to learn and speak it. For fluent speakers and immersion students, hearing the language on screen validates their identity and shows that their voices belong in the global media landscape. Just like Korean, Spanish, or French films, it reminds the world that Hawaiian deserves the SAME respect as any other global language."
As far as the backlash goes, Lily thinks the complainers are "extremely uncultured and need to get out more." She continued, "There are English subtitles! Can these people not read or what?" before pointing out several examples of other languages in pop culture, from anime to Star Trek's Spock speaking Klingon to Parasite, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020.
"We share this planet with billions of people, coming from different backgrounds and cultures and lived experiences. How boring would it be to only experience and consume art and media that only reflects one narrow worldview? Art, history, and storytelling lose so much richness when they're stripped of the language that shaped them. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi isn't just a translation option; it's the lens, the rhythm, and the worldview of our people. English was forced here through colonization, and for decades, speaking Hawaiian was punished. Choosing to tell a Hawaiian story in Hawaiian is a deliberate act of resistance and cultural restoration. Complaining about that because it's 'inconvenient' for you isn't just lazy — it's participating in the same erasure that tried to kill our language in the first place."
Lily hopes that Chief of War will open the door to more TV shows and movies diving into Hawaiian history and mythology, especially in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. "Thus, more opportunities for Kānaka Maoli to tell our stories! More, new, and fresh faces! Maybe an actual TV and film industry here in the islands that's Hawaiian-centered."
"E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi! The Hawaiian language shall live!" she concluded.
To learn more about Kānaka Maoli culture and issues, be sure to follow Lily on TikTok and Instagram! And you can watch Chief of War on Apple TV+ here.
