Chief Sielu

In a 2018 television interview on KHON-TV, Chief Sielu noted that as the creator, producer, and host of Chief's Luau, the motivation behind how he designed the new space, which is located in a secluded section inside the Wet’n’Wild facility, was based on creating a feeling. He explained that he wanted to make the experience of Chief's Luau more than just a show - he wanted to make it for the people and the feeling he wants them to experience. From May 2012 through December 2017, Chief's Luau operated its luau at Sea Life Park until moving to its permanent venue at Wet’n’Wild.

In December 2017, Wet'n'Wild Hawaii built a new home for Chief's Luau and its owners, Chief Sielu and Eddie Sax. The 50,000 square foot renovation was designed by Chief Sielu himself and made a reality by Wet'n'Wild owners Jerry Pupillo and Scott Loos.

Earlier in his performing career, Chief Sielu had performed his fire knife dance at other luaus on Oahu, including Germaine's Luau and Paradise Cove Luau. In 2014, Chief Sielu took a one-week hiatus from his Honolulu luau to headline Samoa's 24th annual Teuila Festival accompanied by his group of 20 luau performers at an invitation from the nation's Prime Minister.

Chief Sielu Avea (Chief Sielu in short) is a Samoan-born comedian and ambassador of Polynesian culture. Since 2012 he has been the producer and host of Chief's Luau, a Hawaiian Lūʻau on Oahu.

Chief Sielu is recognized by the Samoa Tourism Authority as an international Polynesian celebrity and tourism ambassador, a status achieved through his three decades of entertaining tourists at luaus on Oahu, most recently in 2012 at his main production, Chief's Luau in Honolulu, where he shares his Polynesian culture with visitors to Hawaii.

After seeing Chief Sielu's comedy coconut husking and fire making presentations, the Saxes asked him to appear at their comedy club alongside the stand-up comedians they brought to Hawaii from Los Angeles and New York including George Wallace, Jeff Foxworthy, Brad Garrett, Jeff Dunham, and George Lopez. His working relationship with the Saxes expanded in 2012 when they partnered to create Chief's Luau.

Chief's Luau is now a prominent Hawaii activity on Oahu. Chief Sielu was the featured entertainer at Samoan Heritage Week in Honolulu in 2010.

Chief Sielu made his cinematic debut in Brett Wagner's short film Chief, an award-winning piece at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. The film follows the character Semu Fatutoa, played by Chief Sielu, who drives a taxi in Honolulu. He had previously been a village chief in Samoa, but tragedy compelled him to flee his home and cover his tattoos. The plot of the movie features Fatutoa driving in circles, trying to forget about his old life and coming upon a young Hawaiian girl in desperate need of his help.

While a student at BYU Hawaii, Chief Sielu taught himself the art of fire knife dancing and pioneered a comedic routine for coconut husking and fire making cultural demonstrations. He performed regularly at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie until leaving the center in 2002. During his tenure there, he became the first official World Fire Knife Dance Champion and was recognized as one of Hawaii's premier cultural ambassadors and performers perpetuating traditional Polynesian culture through his charismatic charm and humor.

In 1994, Chief Sielu published a book on the Samoan tattoo titled Tatau: The art of the Samoan tattoo.

In 1993, Chief Sielu became the first World Fireknife Dance Champion, a title given to the winner of the World Fireknife Championships held annually in Laie, Hawaii. Since then, he has performed fireknife in dozens of countries. Chief Sielu has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Tonight Show, MTV, BBC Television, Drunk History, Impractical Jokers, and the Miss Universe Pageant. In 2002, he threw the flaming spear that ignited the ceremonial torch at the Stadium of Fire event prior to the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Chief Sielu was featured on the cover of MidWeek Magazine on October 16, 1991. The magazine's story noted that his ultimate goal was to create the best luau in Hawaii, a passion born from what he says he perceived as a lack of Hawaiian activities focusing on cultural preservation with enough entertainment value to hold visitors’ attention. The Chief described his work as different because he shares the ways of old Polynesia but adds the energy from his Samoan roots for feasting, celebration, and hands on interaction.

In 1981, Chief Sielu moved to Oahu to attend Brigham Young University-Hawaii. While studying there to major in mathematics, he worked part time at a nearby cultural museum, where he honed his entertainment skills. The experience changed the direction of his life.

The foundation for Chief's Luau was laid in the late 1980s when Chief Sielu was performing daytime cultural demonstrations. During that time, he was approached by Eddie Sax and Charlotte Sax, founders of the Honolulu Comedy Club (now operating as the Waikiki Comedy Club at the Hilton Waikiki Beach).