His contemporary was Kamehameha I (played in Chief of War by Kaina Makua), who would eventually become known as Kamehameha the Great. Like Kaʻiana, he was probably born in the 1750s, and came from the Big Island. And his aristocratic lineage, though questioned, cemented his future as a strong leader too, according to National Geographic.

In Chief of War, Momoa plays Kaʻiana, a legendary figure in Hawaiian history. He was the first chief to travel beyond the islands and lived during the turbulent time when Kamehameha the Great fought to unify the Hawaiian islands under his rule.

Before the Hawaiian islands were unified under one kingdom in 1850, they were warring factions also fending off white invaders.