Q&A with ‘Chief of War’ star, Waimea High School grad Kaina Makua

Kaua‘i native Kaina Makua is a kalo farmer, cultural practitioner, community educator and co-founder of Kumano I Ke Ala, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing West Kauaʻi through the restoration of native lands, food system transformation, workforce training and youth development.

Makua was coaching Waimea High School’s paddling team in 2019 at the state championships in Hanalei when actor Jason Momoa noticed him and told him he wanted Makua to be a part of a passion project of his.

The 2002 Waimea High School grad — with no prior acting experience — was later cast as King Kamehameha I in the series “Chief of War,” which premiered in August 2025 on Apple TV.

“Chief of War” tells the story of Kaʻiana, portrayed by Momoa, a fearless warrior on a mission to unite his homeland as a monumental power struggle erupts among the four Hawaiian kingdoms in the late 18th century.

It was filmed in Hawai‘i and New Zealand and features extensive dialogue in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

“I constantly had to keep trying to convince him to play it,” Momoa said in an interview with NBC’s The TODAY Show. “And he killed it.”

Hawaiʻi Department of Education recently caught up with Makua for a special “Alumni Spotlight” question-and-answer.

Q: What was your journey like after high school?

A: As soon as summer was finished, I was gone. I moved to O‘ahu. I went to Kapiʻolani Community College for 2 years then transferred to University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I got my bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian Studies, furthered my education and I got into the (master of education) teaching program. I got a teaching certificate. I became a certified teacher in secondary education and my focus was Hawaiian language. I did that for 4 years on O‘ahu then moved home. I taught at Kawaikini Public Charter School for 4 years, until I felt like I could do more with the community.

Q: What are you up to these days?

A: I co-founded Kumano I Ke Ala with Davis Price. Kumano I Ke Ala exists to elevate indigenous knowledge to revitalize traditional food systems to save the world. We have over 100 acres of land. We spend a lot of money on interns as farmers, trying to teach them the same components and traits of makahiki — work ethic, responsibility, belonging, financial literacy and how to speak in public. They do it at a very young age. We have a staff of 15 full-timers and 10 part-timers. We’re just trying to build something that no one has ever seen that’s going to help support our community and bring back, instill, all the things we’ve been talking about for good humans.

Q: What makes you #PublicSchoolProud?

A: I never really understood the “private” and “public” school relationship much. I’m just proud that I’m from Kaua‘i. I’m proud that I’m from Hawaiʻi. I’m proud that I can help the community in some way. I’m proud that now when the world sees “Chief of War,” they are also going to see Kaua‘i. They’re going to also see and hear the stories of Kaua‘i, because of that level of cinematography.

Q: Favorite school lunch or breakfast?

A: My favorite breakfast was Portuguese sausage and rice. My favorite lunch was pizza pocket.

Q: Name of a teacher or mentor you’d like to thank?

A: I’d like to thank a bunch of them, but for Waimea High School in particular, there’s two guys: Scott Suga and Greg Harding.

Q: What type of extracurricular activities were you involved in?

A: I competed in paddling my senior year, which was the inaugural year for paddling as a sport. I was on the swim team for my junior and senior year and I also did surfing. I’ve been the paddling coach for Waimea High School for the past 14 years.

Q: What advice do you have for students?

A: You don’t need to go to college to be “somebody.” But how will you help your community? How do you contribute and bring value to the lives of others instead of just yourself? Don’t live for just yourself. You should be living for everybody. If everyone had that mindset, imagine the things we could do.