Episode Transcript
Welcome back to sort of sophisticated, the podcast. Where Amanda, uh, would you say, we pretend to know what we're talking about, but like sometimes we know what we're talking about, but most of the time we're just pretending we know what we're talking about. I mean, I think you actually learn before we pretend like we know what we're talking about. Yeah. But there's some stuff where we actually know the subject, like we know the topic, right? Like the tour to France. I mean like I know that topic. We could get like real deep in theological. Like how do you know that? What you really know? Oh, you just blew my mind. I don't know. We just mic drop there. I don't know. But the idea anyway is that you are right. We come prepared and we know what we're talking about. I don't know if that's today we research enough. Hopefully that's today. I think yes. I mean, today's a hard one. I think I did enough for today to do it justice, but like, well, but it's hard because, and I, and I know this, I guess personal experience, especially for this topic Yeah. Where sometimes. When we talk about certain topics, we do wanna give a voice to the people or the history that we're talking about. Correct. But at the same time, it's also important for people not to feel like that's an obstacle and to research on their own and gain more knowledge. Yes. And not be afraid of like recognizing history or what happened, or the truth, or fill in the blank and to be able to ask questions. Right? Because if we don't. Then we all just kind of stick in our own bubble and we're not cultured and we're not curious, right? So I do think that. We try our best. We do, right? We do. And, and and I like the idea of sorta of, 'cause like that helps. cause then we get a little pass if we like screw something up or aren't doing it justice appropriately. So hopefully so, so people that's the idea behind the, so here we we're sort of ready. That's the sorta of Okay. Um, but I always to start with story 'cause you know me with my storytelling. Um, so, you know, I'm. In full training mode for half marathon. I know. I think you're nuts. I know. Very, very proud of myself for you should be sticking it out, especially because, uh, well, somebody just had a birthday a little while ago. Okay, well let's stop talking about that 'cause everybody celebrate birthdays. No, that's fine. You had a birthday a little while ago too. We all did. But it's a big deal because, oh my lord, I'm not calling you old, but running a half marathon. As soon as you said, but I'm not listening. Sorry. None even. But you called me old. Not even, but, but, but I'm old. Training for a half marathon. Uhhuh is exceptional. Mm, not really at any age. Not no. However, okay. At my, I don't, I dunno. At my advanced age it's even, it's even more, I hate, just stop talking. Can we stop talking? Can you just stop it now? Fine. Thank you. Go ahead. Yes. So about your half marathon. Okay. You're gonna love this story. This is, this is a very humbling, this is a moment for me. Okay. So, I gotta set the stage. This, this is ridiculous. It's like six 30 in the morning. Okay. And I'm running on Yorba Linda Boulevard, which is Yeah. Like a crazy person. Sure. Yeah. Somewhere in Southern California people. You know the electronic speed limit signs they have. Yeah. Say slow down or they register the speed, like when you're driving by. Right. Okay. Yes. And I'm running pretty fast this morning 'cause I'm doing speed work for my half marathon. Like there's times when I have to run a certain pace. There's times that I just can just run to run to just put miles on. Okay. So I'm in full speed work mode. All of a sudden I run by the sign, sign registers 15 miles an hour. As soon as I run by, I see the sign goes 15 miles an hour, and I'm like, holy shit. Like am I, am I really running 15 miles an hour right now? So I like do quick math in my head and I'm like, okay, that's like 15 miles an hour to 60 miles. That's like four minute mile. Like that's impossible. Like there's no way I'm running a four minute mile. But then I'm like, okay, well hold on a second. Maybe this thing isn't like calibrated right or something. Maybe it's like maybe I'm running like, I don't know, 12. Miles an hour or something like maybe it's just a little off. I'm like, well, either way, that's like a five minute mile or six. I'm like, I'm kind of a badass. Like I think I'm smoking here. Okay. I look around no cars, like zero, like it is quiet as a mouse. You are with me so far. Okay. Okay. All of a sudden, I don't know, 20, 30 seconds later, some dude on a bike comes by and passes me. And as soon as he passed me, I'm like, how did you miss the dude on a bike when you looked around? No, I was behind me like, but behind me. Behind me. Like, yeah, I'm not like, I'm, yeah. It's like I didn't look when you're running like you just do a quick look around and make sure there's no cars, right? So I felt like an idiot. 'Cause obviously, they registered the bi it somehow figured out how to pick up a bike. Bike then bike. Bike. Yeah. And I felt like this small, it was terrible, but oh, well I'm still a fat loser, but you were not a fat loser. Feel good that I still think you should take kudos. And for the record, I was probably running like 7.5 miles an hour. I mean, which is nowhere near 15. Better than I could run. So Amanda, for that split second. I was on top of the world. Listen, on top of the world, I think you should flex all the time. Okay. Because flexor, I am a jogger. Not even, I'm a speed walker. Yeah. Not even a professional one. Good for you. But just a speed walker, right? And you're a runner. Well, I'm hoping that, uh, this topic doesn't have to do with me running, so it's not like about maybe like a band with fast music to help me keep my pace, but more like not at all. Couch potato status. This is totally, it's Can we get that? It is full on couch potato. Is it good for you? It's like wrap my mind. All right. You ready? Oh, yeah. Today's topic is called officially, I like doing official. Okay. Drops. Yes. Chief of War, the rise and fall of Ana. Hawaii's Rebel Chief. I started watching it on Apple TV like a few days ago. I'm totally hooked. Oh, Jason Momo. It's actually like couch potato sa Let's go. Yes, it's big. All it's Jason. It's our, it's our man. Jason. Jason. Momoa. Momoa. Yeah. Okay. Total badass. Bringing history to life by killing people. So the kind of like, which, you know, are two of my favorite things. Sorry what it is, but is it kind of like Alexander, it's exactly like Alexander. Oh, it's exactly the way I like to learn about history. Here we go. Absolutely. Yes. Okay. This is why we're doing this topic. Okay. True story of Kayana, this Hawaiian Noble in the upper class during pre unified Hawaii. And I totally just started it. And do you like it? Uh, here's the thing. Um, you know, I love it because anything based on a true story that's based in any sort of nonfiction is absolutely my jam. So when those things come together, I am a shitty critic. I cannot. Handle that genre. 'cause it's my favorite of all time. So I'm gonna say it's a hundred percent. Uh, even though maybe it's not that good. So I'm not a good critic of this, but you get the idea. All right. Right. You remember Ben Franklin? We did. We didn't wanna Ben Frank so long ago, and it was like, and then I went to the Printing press museum and I was like, mind blown. Okay, here we go. But. I liked that series. And then if you remember right, it kind of got shit reviews. It did. It did. Yeah. Right. It was like me, me, me. But I was like, no, I'm hooked because just anything, if it's real, I'm in. So, anyway. Alright. So are you gonna do a quick background on the show first, or, uh, should we just do word of the day and then start the episode? Yeah, no, we gotta do word of the day. Oh, okay. We always gotta do word of, so, today's word is desultory. Desultory, desultory, like shady insult. Yeah. Wow. Look at you. No, it means the sultry, uh, like sultry. Like a suave sexy. That, but not that would be sultry. Oh, right. But close. Oh, yeah. I like the way you're bringing this all together. Just take out some letters. That works fine. Okay. It means lacking a plan or a purpose being unfocused. Like jumping from one thing to another. Okay. For a conversation mostly, right? Like jumping from one thing to another. So my A DH ADHD is fine. That's desalt that. Okay. You're deery. Okay, great. Great. It's from the Latin verb re sare meaning tale. Okay, I get it. I get that from one thing to another. Okay. You ready? Alright. So I mean, can we, can we just say that this whole episode is very deery. This whole podcast is Tory. I'll, I'll one up. You there? Okay. Okay. Fair? Absolutely. All right. Well then I guess now that we have our word of the day, we're gonna start with some history. Yes. Bank, word of the day. Be ready to go. Okay. Thank, I'm expecting a dollar from you today. All right. Here's the deal, with Kayana. All right. He wasn't just some background warrior dude guy. I know we always, when you think of Hawaii, everybody thinks of King Kaha, right? But this guy was legit, as important in Hawaiian history as Kame Meha, but me being white American guy, it's, oh, I just know King Kame Meha. Right. So we're, so taking a step further, because we did do, we did do an episode about, uh, LA coa. Yeah. Yes. Hawaiian Independence Day. Look at that. Yeah. Yeah. So we're just, we're gonna talk about Kai Kai a step further. A step further. Here we go. So this guy was he wasn't just some random dude, like. Commoner peasant guy. He was born into Hawaiian nobility. Like this guy was legit. They call that alii. He was born into the alii or like the ruling class or the nobility. Top tier guy. Okay. Super powerful family. Uh, in Kauai actually is where he was born. But because that alii or ruling class, didn't wanna breed with a common class because then, it would screw up things he was actually related to rulers not only in Kauai, but Maui. And the, uh, big island of Hawaii. So anyway, it was like basically being born with like a fast pass at Disneyland. Right. Or I guess, what do they call it nowadays? I don't even know the name of it. Lightning Lane. The Lightning Lane. That's it. Okay. So this guy's like, not a nobody immediately. He's already a somebody and now it's sort of like where we're gonna fit him in and tell the whole story about chief of War. Right. Did there, was there hierarchy kind of like that of like Prince Harry and Prince William? Just so like, relatability of Yeah. Yeah, because Prince Harry, like Right. It's, it's just exactly like the English monarchy because they marry into like other monarchies. Austrian or what you've been to the, the class that you're in. That's why. Right. Yeah, so he's like Prince Harry, but not at all like Prince Harry. Prince Harry's like got Sure. A bunch of red, Harry's, a ginger and a freckle face. This guy's character is six, not that way. This guy, six, four and ripped day. I'm more of like just the hierarchy. Yeah. Okay. Of the monarchy. Right. I'm with you. Completely. Good call. Way to bring it together. Okay. So he grows up all over the Hawaiian Islands. And by his early twenties, he's already become this super wellknown and respected warrior guy. As history has it. Amanda, also a bit of a ladies man, thank you very much. I mean, I would expect nothing less. Yeah. 'cause I was researching, uh, beautiful man. Right When I researched it, I got words like charisma and leadership. Um, but I also got unpredictable and hot head. Uh, so sort so he is like the bad boy archetype. He, uh, he is, yes. I also got some other stuff. So, you know, he's, um, he was a mover and a shaker, let's say. He was a ladies man. Okay, fair enough. You with me? But he kept it all in the ruling class because that's what he had it all. All those sp book club lovers would've, right? Yes. Would've liked a little Kayana uh, you're telling me let's go right? Little 50 50 shades of gray with Ana. All right. So can I keep going now? Yes. All right. So he was born in like 1750. I dunno. Lived to like 1790 something. Okay, so we're back in the late 17 hundreds. Each island, if you remember, still had its own chief. And they were always trying to expand power over each other. So by this time, Kayana is old enough to start fighting and helping out. So you would think Amanda, he would start fighting for Kauai. 'cause like that's where he was born and his roots were strongest. But I had to look this up. Kauai wasn't really part of the fight back then. You remember Kauai is way out west, right? Compared to all the other Hawaiian islands. So they sort of just kept to themselves and weren't in fighting mode at all and weren't really important enough to bother with yet. So instead jumps on a ship and joins up with Maui cause of his link with Chief Kali, who is fighting to get Oahu back from one of his own warriors that he put in charge named Kahana who sort of went rogue on him. So I, I know I just threw out a lot of stuff. So basically Ana tells Kahekili, listen, I'll go over there, I'll handle it, I'll kick ass over Kahana and take control of Wahoo again for you. Okay. Okay. So that's sort of the plan. So I'm assuming he wins. Yeah. And then what happens? Like he hands it back over and that's it. That's it. He goes, oh, we all high five. I wish. Right? Not even close. 'cause they're power hungry. Crazy. Right? So I feel like if you're gonna win and beat everybody Yeah. You're just gonna take over. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So they totally won. So now, Ana Kali, they now have Oahu and Maui, right? So they're just chilling for a while. 'cause now they're like, what are they reaping? What you sow? They're, they're enjoying the spoils of their victory and they're getting ready to go attack Hawaii, the big island. When all of a sudden some guy shows up named Captain John Mes, an old British Navy guy who turned into a fur trader who was trying to make money trading sea Otter pelts between the Pacific Northwest like Oregon, Washington, and China. And since Hawaii's sort of in the middle of it all, he was using Hawaii as a pit stop going back and forth. Yeah. Clearly. Yes. Makes sense. Okay. Duh. Okay. So ka Aana gets to know this guy and comes up with a plan. And technically since there's no actually fighting going on at the moment, 'cause they haven't made their big push to take over Hawaii yet, he makes a deal with this mes guy and he basically says, listen, if you let me go to China with you, I'll help you trade in the other Pacific Islands. Along the way. It's kind of like a no brainer for this guy Captain Mirrors, because if he has a Hawaiian noble warrior on his boat, it's gonna help him sell pelts for sure in the Pacific Islands. So Kayana jumps on board and they take off. Wait, what? Why did Kayana wanna go to China? Okay, good question. I didn't know either. I had to look that up. So history debates this a little bit, Amanda, but basically what I found out was the idea was that if Cayana went to China and saw how the outside world worked and learned about guns and ships and silk and all the stuff that China has, he'd come back more cultured. More cultured and curious, right? Oh my God, that's hysterical. And have a lot more street cred. And then he'd have an edge on all the other warriors and nobles and give him a chance to rise in power. So he was smart enough to know, I gotta get outta here to come back like a better dude and more, it's like good in theory, but was it good in practice? Because I'm assuming he is like he's studying abroad, but you know, with guns and cannons and, yeah. Absolutely. Trying to take over. Yes. Like, so like peaking the brain status. Someone take over the world Here's the deal. As far as history knows, he was the first person to ever leave the Hawaiian Islands and go to China and come back. It was like a big play, right? Like he's going to see the outside world, so how can you not come back? And people would be more like, like awestruck. By what he had accomplished. Well, especially then, I mean, it was on a ship and there was so many complications. He brings back, like you just said, he brings back a bunch of guns. Totally. Had already learned how to use them all. They didn't have weapons, right. So that was a huge deal. Then it starts explaining to everybody how all these other countries worked, how their culture worked, how they managed their way of life, which totally shocked the whole Hawaiian system and the whole hierarchy just got turned upside down just the way he hoped it would so he could start making moves and moving up inside of sort of that nobility. Okay. So then did him and the chief from Maui start fighting everybody else then? Like what? Did their power, hungry struggle start then, or? Yes. Okay. So, sort of except Cayana decides to switch sides. Wait, why? Okay. 'cause he was a flipper. He was. He was a side flipper. He was a flipper man. Well, something must've happened when he went to China. I'm gonna tell you, of course, set you up, I mean, that's how you gotta do this, right? So instead of fighting for Ka hali, he teams up now with Ka. Okay. Oh, yes. Okay. Okay. It's starting. Okay. I still wanna know why he switched sides though. Okay. 'cause it was way more common than you think. Alright. It wasn't a big deal. There's not more to whichever way the wind blew. It's not, not kind of, right. So that's mostly strategic. Okay. 'cause back then, remember I told you earlier, the ruling class was all connected. They didn't want the commoners to like get into their bloodline. So like, you're related to everybody. It's not just Ana, like everybody's related to everybody in the ruling class. So like maybe his cousin in Oahu, maybe his brother-in-law's in Hawaii. Like they're all sort of connected and so. It's not like you're best friends with all of them. Like some of you, like some of you don't like, especially if there's a lot of 'em. So they don't give a shit if they're gonna fight each other. So all he's looking for is the best chance to make a move up the ladder to be able to be a chief one day. And if that shit's not working for him and Kaki and Oahu and Mau, he is like, okay, I'm taking a risk over Kamaya and his buddy Kaki iss like, okay, go fuck yourself. Got it. Like that's all that's going on. Does that make sense? Yes. Okay. Got it. I got it. So you gotta remember there wasn't one king in Hawaii at the time. It wasn't like super clean or everything, right? 'cause there's one per island, right? Yeah. And then you moved up through something they called Mana, a spiritual power along with the strength of your genealogy. And ultimately like who had. Political support, right? So if you were a high ranking chief and things weren't going your way on one island, you bounced to another island, especially if there was family there and go see how you could do on the New Island. Does that make sense? Yeah, I think so. Okay, hold on. Let's see if I'm tracking. So he wasn't just a warrior, he was being a little too political. He he he was. He was political, yes. And he thought he had a better chance with King Kame. Meha. Yes, absolutely. So originally when he was fighting with Kahiki, it was for Maui to take over Oahu. But then he got back from China and Kame me sitting on the big island. He had already made a lot more headway and kham me now, if you remember, was trying to unify all the Hawaiian islands. So Ka hali was like, no, we just wanna take over Hawaii. And Kame me is like, no, no, no. We wanna take everything. It's a bigger picture. Bigger picture. So, so Ana just goes and fights with Kham 'cause it's time to go. Alright. So, I mean, in theory he also gets some credit for the unification of the Hawaiian Islands, the sort of, oh, okay. Right. Yeah. Okay. Why sort of. Because shit's gonna go down again. All right, so at first everything's going well, right? They're over there fighting together for like five years, and they absolutely took over Maui. Yay. Let's go then Lanai. And finally, moloka. But I guess after that, Kayana starts feeling sort of sidelined, like he's not getting the credit he deserved. Kamehameha starts excluding him from his little inner circle. He's not invited to the war council anymore, and he starts getting pissed off. So then in 1795, right when they're planning to take over Oahu, he switches teams again and defects over to Oahu to fight for Chief Kini Kale. Wait, so hold on. That's like the third time he switched teams and I, I guess I get it. If he's getting, like I told you, he is a flipper man. Yeah. But. I guess he had something that he was eyeing, right? Each time that he tried to, he was conquer an island, just was trying to be a chief man, man. He, to the next one, just trying to be a chief. What do you want me to do? But that kinda like brings up a question then what, So what happened with King K Meha? Why did he change his mind about Kayana? like the guy brought him weapons. He did. Right. I know. Helped him win battles. Yes. And now he's excluded from the war council, so I feel like something had to have gone down. Yeah. Working ka me to, I didn't, I didn't find like a ton on that. Really? Yeah. Nobody knows for sure. Whatever happened. It was like obvious. I wonder if there's something there in like folklore we'll have to ask around. Okay. So like, working theory. I did find working theory, but it's not like official history. Right. Um, said that Ana just straight up got too powerful for Kame. Meha. So he was like a little worried. Yes. By this time, Ana had his own army, had his own followers and he wasn't low key about it, at all. So he didn't have his own island. But like, shit was getting serious. Yeah. People respected him and supported him. And so command, ma'am. So I was like, I I, I I gotta do something. Yeah. It's dangerous. Yeah. Yeah. So and maybe in retrospect that wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe if they would've stayed together, like it would've been awesome. I don't know. Um, but yeah. Right. So then what happened? Okay. So they start fighting, right? And it turns out to be the bloodiest and most legendary battle in all of Hawaiian history. This is Hawaii versus Oahu. This was it. This is known as the battle of. It's Kame Meha against Ana and Kalani Kle the chief, Oahu, cannons, guns, everything. This was not old style fighting. Okay. This was like serious new style fighting. Thank you Kayana. All, all the weapons. Yes. Right. Okay. Ultimately KA is men fight all the way up the UA New Valley, and shoot and kill Ana. Super sad. So sad. I know. And literally after he died, Oahu basically gave up. And fun fact. Well, okay. It's not even really a fun fact. It's a sad fact. Literally, Kaja Mejas Warriors pushed the remaining Oahu warriors up the valley toward the Pali, and forced them to basically either get shot or stabbed to death or jump off the cliffs. It was totally terrible. That's so tragic. I know. And that cliff where they all jumped from is now called the Ali. And people say when you go up there, you can feel the weight of history hollowed ground for sure. Oh, I believe it. I know. It's amazing, but it's also really ironic that Kayana died helping to defend the island that he once over through. Yes. Very full circle. Hmm. Kind of wild kind of weird stuff. Yes. Didn't you just tell me like last week you finally visited the top five like most hollowed places in the United States? I did. Is this one of them? Yes. So you just called me out. I have not visited this one. Um, so is this number six or is it in the top five? Well, for me personally, because I, love Hawaiian history, this would be top five and it's embarrassing that I didn't know about this until like I started researching it. So how many times have I gone to Oahu in my life and have not gone to see this? Uh, a little embarrassing. So I will say I saw the top five most hollowed places for white people history. Oh, okay. Uh, in the United States. And I should go see this. Okay. 'cause I would say this is a. For sure in my top five. Yes, absolutely. Wow. Hawaiian trip in your future. Let's go check that. Added to the bucket list. No. 'cause that's probably ama like when you think about that, like fuck, like I don't know about you, but my brain just melts when I have to think about what people had to do, whatever. Don't get me started. It's sad. It is. It's true. It's very sad. Yes. So I know that we probably already can deduce the answer to the question, but I know we always try to figure out like or talk about. Why it still matters today. 'cause we always want to help our listeners see how everything is connected, and I think most of us can. Yeah. Right. See how it is. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But instead of the whole history repeats itself or how important diplomacy is, like why should we care? I mean. As a one person, like why should we be telling our kids about this important person? Ooh, I like this. This is a good spin on the why it still matters. Topic we like to bring up. Um, I think I'd probably tell my kids this story is more about an ego. Than anything else, because think about it, right? Whatever happened, I wasn't there. But somehow I would say, like we were talking about, Ana got booted from Kaja inner circle and was pissed and then went big. And I mean that like super bold move, right? More power to him. But it's sort of the price you pay for having a chip on your shoulder, I wanna be clear here, I'm not Monday morning quarterbacking anything. Like I have no idea. Like this guy was way smarter than I'll ever be. But if you just ask why my kids care about this. I think I'd say practice patience, be relentless in trying to keep lines of communication open and relationships open. If you don't like, your ego can get in the way and you should make sure you have someone checking in on you, and your ego. 'cause maybe Ka Iana would've died. Like either way, I don't know. Um, but he could have also maybe been one of Kamehameha's greatest advisors and ended up succeeding him. So who knows? Maybe he would've been so awesome the US would've never took away. I, I don't know. But my instinct says, his ego got in the way. He wanted to push too hard to be a chief somewhere. And that's the lesson to learn pay attention to that kind of stuff. Like check yourself before you wreck yourself kind of stuff. And no shade on ka Yana. This man is amazing. 250 years ago, 300 years ago, whatever. I don't know. I'm just a loser. That's what I tell my kids. That's the story. That's what matters to me. That's what I take away from it. Definitely a deeper spin on our normal question. Yes. The, yes. Thank you. I like that. I like it. Good job. Good job. I know I was being a little diss salty was. I was. I was. Was I a, sorry. A little bit. A little bit bit. Okay. Sorry. But now we're back on track. Oh no. You got the dollar. Okay, fine. Okay. Well then let's talk about the Apple TV series now since you've, uh, started watching it, and I'm sure we already all know the answer to this, but do you like it? I love it. Totally. I mean, and it matched with everything that you researched and came across and came to learn. Um, like is it truly so I can't lie, like I haven't watched the whole thing yet. I've watched two episodes. Okay. So it's probably like, all other movies or TV series that are based on true stories. I'm assuming right now that they'll get all the big things right. And change some other shit to make the story better for the audience. So probably the same thing, right? I haven't finished it, but they'll keep it real. But they have to do Hollywood so they have to add all the parts that like, oh my god. Mean you gotta it, you get to de deuce. Right, right, right, right. But I will say one thing that I noticed like that already sucks is that they compress everything a lot. 'cause I wanna be true to history as much as possible. And I get it. 'cause they'll make it boring if they don't compress a lot. But it's clear, they're gonna spend way more time on battles and fighting. 'cause it's Jason Momoa and that's what the people wanna watch. So obviously it's gonna play out more like an action movie than a legit documentary. What are you supposed to do? They have to keep it fast paced. Um, but I would be into like more of the. Historical context and how long it took him to decide things and the politics and the way his brains thinking about what to do. I haven't seen it all. It might go into that, but just by watching the first few episodes, I don't think we're going there. But how about like, culturally? Is it culturally accurate? Okay. Well, I'm not indigenous. That's not fair. What do I like? Okay. I mean, I know you're not indigenous, but Okay. I'm not in, you kind of get a feel of whether or not, you know, they had people speak into this from my, from what I saw so far and what I researched. Yes. I'm gonna say yes, they did good. Five stars. Like everything looks amazing. You can tell they hired cultural consultants and real indigenous folks to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. It's not perfect. I have no idea, but it's way more, more respect. What is perfect? Sure. It's way more respectful than a lot of things they show, when they're trying to depict Hawaii on tv for sure. I read somewhere like 600 indigenous Hawaiians were hired to either star in or help support the production. And then like a ton of other Samoans or Tongans and other Polynesian cultures were involved. So they tried to be authentic for sure. I don't think they would've let them like, screw it up that bad. And I think Jason Momoa like produced it or something too, so even he wanted to stay true to it. So yeah, it's legit. So, I know you haven't watched the whole series yet, but do you feel like they're gonna leave anything out or do you think it's gonna like, cover pretty in depth the history of Kayana? No, I can already tell, they're already skipping some of the depth of the relationship that he had in real life and how they portrayed in the series. So they make him seem like this lone rebel and that he's like this badass acting alone that, from what we just talked about, he wasn't right. He Basically was related to four ruler, like Kauai, the ruler of Maui, the ruler of Oahu. Right. Um, so that's not in there. It's like so fast. It's more like I'm this guy, like guy over, yes, I'm this guy and I'm a badass and I'm going for it. Right. So far it's like people won't truly understand the depth culture. No. It skips a lot of that relationship stuff and the political stuff. Uh, and I don't, I doubt they're gonna go back to it. I mean, they might, but like you would, thought they would've set that up early, not later. So more to come on that. But I still think it's good. It's just, you gotta go into it thinking it's an action series. Right. That's, yes. I mean, it's a historical fiction. Yes. Not a documentary. Yeah. But it is definitely worth a watch. Yeah. I mean, I'm more like, you know me like I'm more interested in the drama than I am in the action. So like if this is playing out more like action than drama. Yeah. Yeah. That's all I mean, but for me, five stars. I'm watching the whole thing. Okay. Yeah. Well, we know what else is five stars. What fun facts. Five of them to be exact. Totally. Let's do you have five fun facts. I have six fun facts. Oh, okay. Is that okay? So we got a bonus one. We do. Let's go. All right. But before we start fun facts. I got a p, SA. Can IPSA for a second? Absolutely. Do you mind? Because sometimes you, p, s, a, right? I PS A at the beginning of this episode. Okay. Beautiful. You get your one P, SAI get my PSA. So as far as like. Hawaiian culture and heritage goes I was doing the whole research and I had my own aha moment, my own self-awareness moment, which is why I love doing this podcast. 'cause that's what it makes for me. It totally helps. I mean, how many times have I gone to Hawaii for like the beaches and the vibes and I know the last time I just went, I went to Pearl Harbor. But again, very American thing, right? And I'm not taking it away. Pearl Harbor, one of my top five hollow ground places, in the United States. Love it. But like there is so much more to learn about Hawaiian history and culture that I am only skimming the surface of. And so now I want to go with a whole different level of respect and understanding for it. And if we could do that, we collectively more, um, I think that would just be awesome. So you wanna take your day at the beach? Take your day at the beach, but then take another day to go to a frigging museum over there and learn something. Right. Really learn something. Oh my God. Okay. Sorry. That's my PSA Now we'll do fun Okay. Number one. So King Kamehameha had a little secret weapon that he used to overthrow Oahu and win the Battle of NewU. It was a western ship called the Fair American. So check this. A few years earlier, KA had captured the ship and unfortunately killed most of the American sailors on the ship. But he kept one survivor as a hostage named Isaac Davis. Eventually this Isaac Davis became a trusted military advisor to Kamehameha and Davis, and his ship ultimately helped Kamehameha dominate the Hawaiian Islands and win that battle of Oahu, huh? Yeah. Ana didn't even know about it. Number two, Kayana didn't just bring back weapons from China. Amanda, he brought back a bunch of different treasures, silk mirrors, metal tools, all of which were total flexes in the Alii society or that noble society I was talking about. He basically came back from China with the 1790s version of like a luxury hall from Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Okay. Instant street cred. Number three, legend has it that before he ever conquered a single island, young Kamehameha walked up to a massive sacred boulder in Hilo called the Naja Stone a rock. So important. It was said that only the ruler who would unite the Hawaiian Islands could move it. And what does he do? He lifts it or flips it, depending on who's telling the story. But either way, the message was clear. Was the guy. It was basically the Hawaiian version of pulling Excalibur from the stone. And Kaha used it as an early flex to prove he had both strength and divine favor, like with the Gods Co kaha. Number four, Kauai was the only major island Kame never conquered by force after Kayana died and Ka took Oahu like we talked about, the only major holdout left was Kauai, who was sort of sitting out there on the westernmost edge of the Hawaiian island. Ana's birthplace, but instead of invading Kaha made a peace agreement with King Kamali in 1810. So technically the unification of the Hawaiian Islands ended with a handshake. Not a battle, huh? Kind of cool. Good to know. Uh, number five, the ultimate status symbol of high ranking Hawaiian chiefs was their massive feather cloak they used to wear. Called an, I might not be saying that right. A. You can totally see them. In chief of War. They're amazing. Okay. And each one of these aulas was made of tens of thousands of tiny feathers. Usually red, yellow, or black. And each cloak could take years, sometimes even generations to complete. So as a result, they weren't just beautiful. They were sacred. A symbol of mana, spiritual power and wandering battle or ceremonies and like diplomacy stuff. So only the Ali that chiefly class wore them. And the color red in particular was linked to high ranking gods and rulers. So when someone like Kai Aana walked into a room wearing a aula, it wasn't fashion, it was a full-blown political statement and meant you are awesome, and finally the Ali had strict rules around shadows and heads. Check this one out. This was like my favorite one, Amanda. So in Ana's time, commoners weren't allowed to let their shadow cross a chief's path or even let their head rise higher than the Alis. And if for some reason they broke the rule, the punishment could be death. So the message was basically stay low and get outta the way or else? That's all. I got. Terrifying fun facts out. Oh, there are days when I'm like, I'm so glad I live in this era, but also days where I'm like, Ugh, I live in this era. Right. But I liked the way you said that. No, it's very conflicting. No, it, it absolutely is. I would always tell him there's a, I mean, it's just like a appreciation. There's a super old Jimmy Buffett song. It's called a pirate Looks at 40, and it's about like he wanted to grow up to be a pirate. And it says one of the lyrics in the song is, I guess I am a pirate 200 years too late. Oh, right. Yeah. My canons don't thunder. There's nothing to plunder. I'm an over 40 victim of fate and I always tell my kids, that's me. Like, absolutely. I grew up in the wrong era. I'm not saying I wanna be a pirate, but to your point, sometimes you're like, I want to just go be that and do that or be a part of that, and then you're like, oh my God. But that also is so hard, right? It's so overwhelming. Yeah. But it's so much more meaningful and so much more powerful. So there's this whole juxtaposition problem I have with the whole thing. It melts my brain anyway, but it's every time I know it's right. Every time we learn about history, I think it's a little bit why I still like to do this after 65 episodes, even though we have 12 listeners. I think that's what like if you said what draws you back? I kind of think that's my thing. Right, right There. Look at that. Didn't get to learn. We just, we just boiled that down right there. I mean, I think that's been our mission statement the whole time. You know what that was again, here we, I'm being diss Tery again, yet again. That word was so easy today Anyway. It was. Um, well, I think I already know our call to action for this week, which is watch, chief of War. Go watch Chief of War on Apple tv. Um, I think we already told everyone to do that. Yep. But just like. Knocking that one home. Okay. Um, but are there some bullet points that we need to remember to sound like we actually get this stuff and can talk about it with a friend Totally. Saying, Hey, have you seen this? But did you know I'm gonna do that. You want me to do that right now? Yeah, I can do that for you. Okay, let's go. But I'm adding one more. Tell me my But did you knows Adding two more calls to action. How's that? So the first one was. Watch, chief of War. Yeah. First one, chief of War. Uh, next one is if this is your jam. Totally. YouTube history channels, uh, they're the best. And there's some short ones on Hawaiian unification. Ana Kaha Meha. They go way deeper than this sort of sophisticated crap that we're doing over here. Okay. Totally worth it, in my opinion. Uh, I was looking up a lot of that stuff, so where I got a lot of info and then of course, you know me, I go down rabbit holes. Um, amazing and totally got me into this like way more. So if this is your jam, go for it. Also you can read, either a book called Shool of Time by Gavin Dawes or Haba Story, uh, by Hawaii's Queen, herself. Queen. Oh, we talked about that one. Yeah. Lily Ani. Yes. Both have real history, real context. Yeah. We talked about it in our episode, right? For sure. I'm gonna add it to my list. I'm gonna do that right now. Continue, yes. And if you don't wanna do any of that, then just remember these four things to be sort of sophisticated. Here we go. First, Ana was a high ranking Ali, born on Hawaii related to royalty on three other islands, and the first Hawaiian that we know of to travel to China. He came back with guns, global knowledge and ambition, which made it more powerful and super dangerous. Second. He fought for Kali of Maui, then Kaha of Hawaii, then flipped one last time and helped defend Oahu before finally dying in the battle of Nu. One of the bloodiest showdowns in all of Hawaiian history. Third, that battle ended with hundreds of warriors, pushed off a thousand foot cliff, and it was one of the key turning points in Kamehameha's, unification of the Hawaiian Islands. Hollowed ground, for sure. And finally, if the series Chief of War makes it look overly dramatic, just remember the real story already had betrayal, international travel, feathered capes, and cannon fire. So no. They didn't really have to exaggerate it that much. The history of the Hawaiian Islands is just that amazing. Honestly. It's one of the wildest stories in world history, right? I mean, like, it's, it's, it's cra like, anyway, don't get me going. Close this out. Alright, so if you paid attention, then you've kind of completed your Hawaiian Studies 1 0 1. Even if you're just gonna watch the Apple TV show just for Jason Momo's Biceps. But he's buff. He's Buffet f She is. I know. There you have it. Fellow listeners. We did a deep dive into the Rise rebellion and complicated legacy of kayana from Royal Birthright to Battlefield Betrayal. His story isn't just about one man, it's about how ambition. Politics and pride shaped the unification of Hawaii. If we've done our job today, hopefully you're walking away feeling a little more sophisticated with a clearer picture of why a feather cape wasn't just fashion, how canons ended a centuries old way of war, and what happens when a warrior stops waiting for permission and makes his own moves. If you enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe. Leave us a review and pass it along to someone who thinks Hawaiian history is just a bunch of volcanoes and hula dancers. Until next time, stay curious, stay bold and walk with a little aloha. Let's go.
