SEATTLE — Before “Chief of War,” the history of Hawaii had never been front and center in a mainstream Hollywood production and told from a Native Hawaiian viewpoint. The Apple TV+ series, which premiered Aug. 1, follows Ka‘iana (Jason Momoa), a real-life warrior chief who tried to unify the islands in the late 1700s, before Western colonization. Created by Momoa and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett, a writer and producer who lives in Washington state, the show features a predominantly Polynesian cast and took years to make.

Growing up in Olympia, Sibbett, who is Hawaiian, said he was surrounded by large Hawaiian and Polynesian communities, often spending Saturdays doing crafts, dances and music with families in his neighborhood. As “Chief of War” continues to air, with its final episode dropping Sept

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