KJ Apa is following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a chief in his village.
On Aug. 31, 2022, the “Riverdale” star was officially granted the matai—or chief—title Savae during a ceremony held at the traditional grounds Laoa o Tamapua in Moata’a by the chiefs of his village, according to Talamua. His father, Keneti Apa, is currently a chief of the village.
Apa shared a photo from the ceremony on Instagram to mark the momentous occasion. In the picture, the actor donned traditional attire, including a fine mat around his body as well as a pale fuiono, which is a beaded headpiece, according to NZ Herald. He appeared to be kneeling before the other village chiefs and leaders amid the ceremony.
“O la’u fautuaga — o le a ou tautua i le tatou aiga ma le tatou nu’u. Fa’afetai i le Atua,” the 25-year-old wrote in Samoan in his caption, adding the translation, “My goal is to serve my family and my village (Moata’a) Thank you God.”
Apa, who recently made headlines for his dramatic buzzcut that got rid of his character Archie Andrews’ signature red hair, has opened up in the past about his Samoan heritage.
During a February 2021 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” host Jimmy Kimmel asked the actor what his name stood for, which he explained, “KJ is short for Keneti James, which is a Samoan name. I’m named after my father.”
Apa shared more about his father and his role in the village, adding, “He holds the matai title—chief title—of the village that he’s from and I’m from called Moata’a in Samoa.”
The actor explained that after his grandfather passed away, his chief title was then passed along to his father. When asked if the title would then be handed down to Apa, he replied, “I don’t know. I can’t speak Samoan… I would think it’s a huge responsibility. I don’t really feel adequate to be honest, but I doubt myself in almost everything that I do, so.”
Years prior during a February 2017 interview with Vulture, he spoke about his Samoan heritage his family on his father's side.
“I have a massive Samoan family. And the Samoan culture has always played a massive part of my life,” he explained. “I’ve got hundreds of family on my dad’s side that live in Samoa and in New Zealand. I’ve just been surrounded by the culture ever since I was a kid. I actually used to speak Samoan, but me and my sisters all kind of lost it. We go there at least once a year to see family. And my dad recently just got a traditional Samoan tattoo. He’s a chief in Samoa, so he got that tattoo to commemorate it.”
Apa has said in a past interview with Mr Porter that most people don't realize he is half-Samoan because "I’m white and I have red hair," a quintessential piece of his "Riverdale" character's look.
"I almost identify more as a Samoan than I do as a New Zealander, just because I grew up with so much Samoan family and the Samoan culture is really close to me," he said. "I feel ashamed of myself for not pursuing it more, for not spending more time with my Samoan side because I’m out there all the time.”