It isn’t just the fact that the multiheaded monster of violence threatens to lay waste to the beautiful islands of Hawai’i in the 7th episode of Chief of War. There’s also this very complicated, very volatile misunderstanding brewing between the only people who can protect their native land from the dangers at home and foreign attacks. Conflicts are bound to arise when two strong-willed leaders like Kamehameha and Ka’iana try to find their places in their shared dream of a safe, peaceful, and united Hawai’i. They may want the same things on the surface, and even in their cores, but they don’t necessarily see eye to eye on the big picture stuff.
Spoiler Alert
Ka’ahumanu’s position in Kamehameha’s home and court is complicated
The morose, and frankly, worried look on Ka’ahumanu’s face isn’t there because she’s unhappy about the birth of a chief’s child. The entire village is brimming with the joy of welcoming new life, and no one is more thrilled than Kamehameha and Ka’ahumanu. Kamehameha not only gets that it takes a village to raise a child, but it is embedded in his values that a whole community is responsible for the physical and spiritual nourishment of a newborn. A birth is a thing of a grand celebration among the people of 18th century Hawai’i. But there’s a reason Ka’ahumanu is keeping her distance from all the merrymaking. More than being disappointed over not bearing an heir for Kamehameha yet, she bears the burden of a depressing truth that only she and her father know. The prophetess, Taula, told Ka’ahumanu that her husband’s seed will never grow in her belly. That’s what bothers her so much as she reassures Kamehameha, who can’t wait for a child to come who will unite Hawai’i and Maui, that maybe their turn is just around the corner. She’s already not popular with the other chiefs for being a woman and having a voice. She’s going to need to strengthen her place in Kamehameha’s life and politics further before she lets her husband in on the truth. It’s strange how, in every way, Ka’ahumanu is pulled into a state of duality; be it her faith, her decisions, or her actions. She’s a sincere believer of Kamehameha’s stance for peace. But when she follows Ka’iana as he seeks a private corner to get the scoop on Keoua from the spy he sent to Kau, she’s choosing to be in cahoots with the man who believes that only war can get Kau off Kohala’s back. Judging by the lowdown he gets from his spy on Keoua security, Ka’iana may even be trying to have him assassinated. The only reason Ka’ahumanu can be on board with something like this is if she actually believes the same thing that Ka’iana does. Keoua won’t go down without a fight. The only real way to avoid unnecessary violence and bloodshed is if Keoua is taken out of the picture. While Kamehameha’s law of Mamalahoa was born out of his sincerest faith in peace and his goal to be a benevolent king, Kamehameha is probably a bit too persistent on that for his people’s good. Ka’ahumanu has a far broader perspective when it comes to the smallest decisions in regards to Kohala’s politics. So her duality actually makes her smarter, if anything.
Captain Metcalfe is hardly a friend to the native Hawaiians
In the 6th episode of Chief of War, Ka’ahumanu’s binoculars saw Captain Metcalfe’s ship far out in the waters of the Pacific. But no one is around when Metcalfe and Marley make their way onto the coast of Kohala. The shine in Metcalfe’s eyes as Marley shows him the treasure trove of the sandalwood trees is of brazen greed. They don’t seem to think that the “savages” are people they should consult before they strike their axes into the sandalwood. But there’s one thing Marley knows they can count on. If the native people find them, their plan will fall apart. That’s why they chase the young native boy when he catches them stealing the valuable sandalwood from his home. But that only leads them to a trap where Hawaiian warriors await the uninvited guests. Since Metcalfe has come to Kohala, Kamehameha and his council are the ones to decide what to do with the Paleskin. John Young is a familiar face to Marley. A man of God and a hypocritical moral of not speaking ill of people, John Young keeps mum about Marley’s reputation. And as an ardent enforcer of amicability and peace, Kamehameha sees no reason to attack Metcalfe and his crew. He’s only being respectful when he shakes hands with the captain. But Ka’iana knows too much about Marley to buy their friendly act. From the moment he learns about Kamehameha’s decision to let them be, Ka’iana’s tried to convince him to meet them with violence. He was the one who rescued Tony from the hellish prison for slaves that Marley had sold him to. And as someone who’s spent just enough time in Zamboanga to learn all about the Paleskin’s vicious greed, Ka’iana doesn’t think that Metcalfe will respect Kamehameha’s peaceful stance. He’s all for attacking them and sending their friends back in Europe a message about the natives. Desperately protective of his home, Ka’iana doesn’t want to take any chances when he knows every awful thing there’s to know about people like Metcalfe and Marley. But even when Tony joins in with descriptions of his own torture at the hands of the White people, Kamehameha is dead set on upholding the law of Mamalahoa. In his position as the future king who means to make Hawai’i a land of peace and prosperity, it would look bad if Kamehameha broke his own law and attacked people who hadn’t yet harmed them. But Ka’iana knows the Paleskin too well. This isn’t the time for politics. As Kamehameha’s wife, Ka’ahumanu has to support her Chief’s decision. But I doubt that she agrees with her husband on this. She’s heard about Ka’iana’s experience in Zamboanga. So it’s possible that she shares the same reasonable fears as him.
Why does Kamehameha break the law of Mamalahoa?
Ka’iana stands alone in his opinion that they shouldn’t wait around expecting Metcalfe to reciprocate their good faith and generosity. Like he said to Kamehameha, the Europeans don’t see them as people. When James Cook was killed, Kalani’opu’u gave his bones to his friends as a sign of respect, because bones have spiritual significance in Hawaiian culture. But Ka’iana knows that the Europeans didn’t see it that way. All they saw were a bunch of savages who stripped their captain’s flesh off his bones. Kupuohi and Namake aren’t willing to stand with Ka’iana on this. Namake’s reason may be the fact that he has faith in Kamehameha as king, but Kupuohi’s feelings are more complicated. She feels insecure when she gets a whiff of the growing closeness between Ka’iana and Ka’ahumanu. And it’s not like Ka’iana hasn’t given her reason to think that he has a thing for Ka’ahumanu. Sure, for the most part, they’re friends. And more importantly, they’re kindred spirits who understand each other like no one else. Her wish to become queen herself is wrapped within her fascination with the idea that in John Young’s society, the queen gets to ascend the throne in the absence of a male heir. That’s something that only Ka’iana understands and encourages in Ka’ahumanu. But there may be more to it than that considering the way Ka’iana looks at Ka’ahumanu when she shows him the way a man would curtsy for the British queen. While Kupuohi did have an affair with Namake, she only did so when she thought that Ka’iana would never come back. And now, between the European ways he’s adopted and his decision to break the law of Mamalahoa, Kupuohi doesn’t recognize her husband anymore. It’s something that can be chalked up to her fear that the Paleskin’s influence will wipe out the beauty of her own culture and home. But Ka’iana can’t sit on his hands with the men he knows are their enemies waiting to pounce on their land. So he makes up his mind to take care of the greedy Europeans in their sleep.
Why does Captain Metcalfe attack the villagers?
Ka’iana had everything to lose when he went rogue, took a canoe, and went aboard Captain Metcalfe’s ship with a handful of warriors. Considering he doesn’t have talking to them in mind, he knows he has to face Kamehameha once he’s taken care of the Paleskin problem. There’s no point trying to talk sense to people like Marley anyway. Even if they pretend to agree, underneath, they’re planning to do what they wanted to do in the first place, extorting native land. What Ka’iana didn’t expect to hear when he had Metcalfe and Marley captured was the sound of a conch shell. It seems that nothing that happens in Kohala escapes Kamehameha’s notice. He’s obviously furious and terribly disappointed that Ka’iana has tried to break the law of Mamalahoa and gone ahead with his plans against his Chief’s wishes. But even then, Kamehameha is the picture of a calm, composed, respectful king. He stops Ka’iana from breaking the law and saves Metcalfe and Marley’s lives, sure, but Ka’iana still insists that Kamehameha let him finish what he started. But since Metcalfe has done a rather good job at convincing Kamehameha that he’s not a threat, there’s nothing that can convince the chief of Kohala to break his own law. Ka’iana has other things to worry about at the same time. Somebody ratted him out to Kamehameha. Namake’s loud disapproval of his plan now convinces Ka’iana that it was his brother who betrayed him. But even if he disagrees with Ka’iana, Namake won’t go against his brother and choose someone else over him. But Kupuohi doesn’t feel the same way about Ka’iana. It was she who’d filled Kamehameha in on his plan to kill Metcalfe and Marley. Whether she did it out of spite or concern is a whole other discussion. But I’d say that she does have things to worry about when it comes to Ka’iana and Ka’ahumanu. Walking by the beach, the tenderness between them is very real and almost inappropriate.
In Chief of War episode 7’s ending, Ka’iana and Ka’ahumanu almost cross the line and are only stopped by the sight of something very concerning. Kamehameha saved Metcalfe and Marley’s lives, but he didn’t want to completely disregard Ka’iana’s fears. He must’ve realized that for Ka’iana to overstep his bounds and go against the chief’s orders, there must’ve been something really morbid there. So very respectfully, John Young was sent to ask Metcalfe to leave the islands of Hawai’i. But what Ka’iana and Ka’ahumanu see in the end is a clear sign that Metcalfe didn’t mean to leave at all. This is what Ka’iana wanted to prevent. Metcalfe came prepared to really hurt the native people of Hawai’i if they stood between him and money. When he turned to the outer village, the kids were excited to see the wonder of such a large ship. It’s heartbreaking when Vai’s son hears the siren from the ship and thinks the ship is singing to them. Captain Metcalfe’s capacity for brutality even has Marley spooked. He has his men fill canisters with nails and load the cannons. And the native Hawaiian people who’ve gathered to welcome a foreign ship die excruciating, unforeseen deaths when the cannons are fired. Pushed to the edge for costing the captain money and trouble, even Marley’s made to walk the plank. Ka’iana knew what Metcalfe would do to his people. But he couldn’t run fast enough to save them from the ferociousness of the Europeans. Vai dies protecting a little girl, and even though in the most tragic way, she makes up for leaving her home once. Metcalfe’s unprecedented attack has the Prophetess on her knees, scratching the earth in helpless agony. A lot of people have died because Kamehameha chose peace over protection. He will come to regret this decision. But before that, he needs to raise an army against Metcalfe and his men. It doesn’t seem like the European captain wants to leave before taking what he wants.
