The Great Seal of the State of Hawaiʻi

Depiction of the Coat of Arms (King Kamehameha III reign) of the
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi

Reverse of the Official Statehood Medal (in silver) Commemorating the Admission of Hawaiʻi as the 50th State of the United States of America with high relief details of the Great Seal of the State of Hawaiʻi

The Great Seal of the State of Hawaiʻi was designated officially by Act 272 of the 1959 Territorial Legislature and is based on the territorial seal. ¹Modifications to the territorial seal included the use of the words "State of Hawaii" at the top and "1959" within the circle. Provisions for a seal for the state of Hawaii was enacted by the Territorial Legislator and approved by Governor Quinn on June 8, 1959. ²The passage of the Admission Act in 1959, admitted Hawaiʻi as the 50th State of the United States of America on August 21, 1959.

The seal of the Territory of Hawaiʻi is the same as the seal of the republic, except that it had "Territory of Hawaii" placed at the top and "1900" (signifying the year that the territorial government officially was organized) within the circle. ¹ The 1901 Territorial Legislature authorized the modified republic seal as the Seal of the Territory of Hawaiʻi. ²

The seal of the Republic of Hawaiʻi, had the words "Republic of Hawaii" at the top and "MDCCXCIV" within the circle. The year "1894" signified the date that the republic was established. ¹The republic seal was designed by the College of Arms in London. The design was derived from several features of the heraldry of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Many design attributes are derived from the Kingdom of Hawai'i coat of arms used during the reign of King Kamehameha III, King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani.

Motto

Along the bottom of the seal is the state motto: "Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono," roughly translated into English as, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." The official motto of the former Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, it was instituted by King Kamehameha III. He proclaimed it in 1843 after a failed attempt by an overzealous British navy admiral to overthrew the monarchy.

Bearers

The seal features two bearers. The image of Kamehameha the Great who unified the Hawaiian Islands into a single united kingdom stands to the left. On his opposite side, an image of the Goddess of Liberty holds Ka Hae Hawaiʻi or the Flag of Hawaiʻi. Both bearers hold the state shield. Above the shield is a rising sun with the year of statehood, 1959. Below is the image of a phoenix rising up from a wreath of eight taro leaves, banana foliage and maidenhair fern.

Shield

The shield is quartered. On the upper left and bottom right quarters of the shield are the red, white and blue stripes representing the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Each of the two quarters have four stripes. On the top right and bottom left quarters are puloʻuloʻu, symbolizing authority and power over the state. Holding the quarters together is a single star, representing the fiftieth star added to the flag of the United States.

Symbolism

• 1959 represents the year of statehood.
• The rising sun replaced the royal crown and Maltese cross from the original coat of arms. This represents the birth of a new state.
• King Kamehameha the Great and the Goddess of Liberty holding the Hawaiian flag replace the two warriors on the royal coat of arms. This may represent the old government leader (King Kamehameha the Great) and the new government leader (The Goddess of Liberty).
• The quartered design of the heraldic shield is retained from the original coat of arms.
• The four stripes in two of the quarters of the shield represent the eight main islands.
• The Puloʻuloʻu, or tabu ball and stick, in the second and third quarters was carried before the king and placed before the door of his home, signifying his authority and power. In the seal it is a symbol of the authority and power of the government.
• The star in the middle of the shield signifies the fiftieth star added to the United States flag.
• The phoenix, symbol of death and resurrection, symbolizes the change from the monarchy to a free, democratic form of government.
• The eight taro leaves, flanked by banana foliage and maidenhair fern are typical Hawaiian flora. Taro was the staff of life and had great religious significance. Taro is also still eaten as a dish called poi.
• The state motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka ʻāina i ka pono", "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness," is retained from the royal coat of arms.

References

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