List of Hawaii state symbols
Appearance

The state of Hawaii has adopted numerous symbols.
Insignia
[edit]Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flag | The Flag of Hawaii | First adopted in the mid 19th century by the Hawaiian Kingdom, it became the official state flag when Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the United States in 1959. | 1845 | ![]() |
[1] |
Seal | The Great Seal of the State of Hawaii | Based on the Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii used during the reigns of Kamehameha III, Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, which had been designed by the College of Arms in London in 1842 and officially adopted in 1845 | 1845 | ![]() |
[2][3] |
Motto | "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono" ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness") | This phrase was first spoken by Kamehameha III, the King of Hawaii, on July 31, 1843, on Thomas Square, Oʻahu, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii was returned by the British through the restorative actions of Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following the brief takeover by Lord George Paulet. | 1843 | [4][5] | |
Popular name | "The Aloha State" | A nickname based on the word aloha, commonly used as a greeting in the Hawaiian language. | 1959 | ![]() |
[6] |
Species
[edit]Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bird | Nēnē Branta sandvicensis |
Also known as the Hawaiian goose | 1988 | ![]() |
[7] |
Endemic tree | ʻŌhiʻa lehua Metrosideros polymorpha |
A species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the state. | 2022 | ![]() |
[8] |
Fish | Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa Rhinecanthus rectangulus |
Also known as the reef triggerfish | 2006 | ![]() |
[9] |
Flower | Pua aloalo or maʻo hau hele Hibiscus brackenridgei A. Gray |
Also known as the native yellow hibiscus | 1988 | ![]() |
[10] |
Insect | Pulelehua Vanessa tameamea |
Also known as the Kamehameha butterfly | 2009 | ![]() |
[11] |
Land mammal | ʻŌpeʻapeʻa Lasiurus cinereus semotus |
Also known as the Hawaiian hoary bat | 2015 | ![]() |
[12] |
Mammal | ʻĪlioholoikauaua[a] Neomonachus schauinslandi |
Also known as the Hawaiian monk seal | 2008 | ![]() |
[13] |
Marine mammal | Koholā[a] Megaptera novaeangliae |
Also known as the humpback whale | 1979 | ![]() |
[14] |
Microbe | Koʻohonua ʻili akia Flavobacterium akiainvivens (proposed) |
A species of gram-negative bacteria discovered by a student at ʻIolani School. | 2013 | [15][16] | |
Plant | Kalo Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott |
Also known as taro | 2007 | [17] | |
Tree | Kukui tree Aleurites moluccanus |
Also known as the candlenut tree | 1959 | ![]() |
[18] |
Snails (kāhuli) |
Succinea konaensis
|
Nine endemic snail species, one for each of the main Hawaiian islands | 2024 | [19][20] |
Geology
[edit]Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gemstone | ʻĒkaha kū moana[a] | Also known as the black coral | 1987 | ![]() |
[21] |
Culture
[edit]Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
ʻAuana (modern)[22] musical instrument | ʻUkulele | A type of lute popularized in Hawaii | 2015 | ![]() |
[23] |
Dance | Hula | A traditional dance and chant of Native Hawaiians | 1999 | ![]() |
[24] |
Gesture | Shaka sign | A friendly gesture associated with Hawaii and surf culture | 2024 | ![]() |
[25] |
Individual sport | Heʻe nalu[a] | Also known as surfing | 1998 | ![]() |
[26] |
Kahiko (traditional)[22] musical instrument | Pahu | Drums in Hawaiian culture | 2015 | ![]() |
[23] |
Language | Hawaiian and English | 1978 | [27][28] | ||
Song | "Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī" | It previously served as the national anthem of the independent Hawaiian Kingdom during the late 19th century, as well as the Republic of Hawaii, and has continued to be Hawaii's official anthem ever since annexation by the United States in 1898. | 1876 | [29] | |
Spirit | The Aloha Spirit | "The coordination of mind and heart within each person" | 1986 | [30] | |
Team sport | Heihei waʻa[a] | Also known as outrigger canoe paddling | 1986 | ![]() |
[31] |
Others
[edit]-
State quarter for Hawaii
-
State tartan for Hawaii (unofficial)[32]
Island colors and flowers or lei materials
[edit]Island | Color | Flower or lei material |
Image |
---|---|---|---|
Hawai'i island (Big Island) |
Red | ʻŌhiʻa lehua | ![]() |
Kaho'olawe | Gray | Hinahina | ![]() |
Kaua'i | Purple | Mokihana Berry | ![]() |
Lāna'i | Orange | Kauna'oa | ![]() |
Maui | Pink | Lokelani | ![]() |
Moloka'i | Green | Pua Kukui | ![]() |
Ni'ihau | White | Pupu Shells | |
O'ahu | Yellow | Pua'ilima | |
Sources:[33][34] |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-19 (Description of the Hawaiian flag)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-5 (State seal, description)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Berg, Annemarie (1979). Great State seals of the United States. Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-396-07705-3.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-9 (State motto)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hokowhitu, Brendan; Moreton-Robinson, Aileen; Tuhiwai-Smith, Linda; Andersen, Chris; Larkin, Steve (30 December 2020). Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies. Routledge. Chapter 21. ISBN 978-0-429-80237-9. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7 (State popular name)". Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-17 (State bird)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Act 25, Session Laws of Hawaii 2022 (State endemic tree)" (PDF). Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.5 (State fish)". Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.3 (State insect)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.2 (State land mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.5 (State mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12 (State marine mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Choy, Isaac (25 January 2017). "HB1217". Hawaii State Legislature. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Taniguchi, Brian (25 January 2017). "SB1212". Hawaii State Legislature. Honolulu, HI: Hawaii State Legislature. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15.5 (State plant)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-8 (State tree)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Bender, Maddie. "How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ "Office of the Governor – News Release – Gov. Green Designates Official State Snails". governor.hawaii.gov. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15 (State gem)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ a b Hawaii State Legislature. "Act 6, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015". Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10.5 (State musical instrument; 'auana; kahiko)". Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-21 (State dance)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Yang, Maya (2024-05-09). "Talk to the hand: Hawaii makes shaka state's official gesture". Hawaii. The Guardian. ISSN 1756-3224. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-13.5 (State individual sport)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-6.5 (State language)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 1-13 (Official languages)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10 (State song)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7.5 ("Aloha Spirit")". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-14 (State team sport)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Hawaiian tartan". Scottish Register of Tartans. National Records of Scotland. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16.5 (Official island colors)". Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)". Retrieved September 28, 2020.