List of Hawaii state symbols
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The state of Hawaii has adopted numerous symbols.
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Insignia
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | The Flag of Hawaiʻi | Adopted in the mid-19th century by the Hawaiian Kingdom, it became the official state flag when Hawaiʻi was admitted as the 50th state of the United States in 1959. | 1845 |  |
[1] |
| Seal | The Great Seal of the State of Hawaiʻi | Based on the Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi used during the reigns of Kamehameha III, Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, 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") | Spoken by Kamehameha III, the King of Hawaiʻi, on July 31, 1843, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi 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
| 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 | _Humuhumu_Nukunuku_Apua'a.jpeg) |
[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] |
| Limu (algae) |
Limu kala Sargassum echinocarpum |
2023 | [13] | ||
| Mammal | ʻĪlioholoikauaua[a] Neomonachus schauinslandi |
Also known as the Hawaiian monk seal | 2008 |  |
[14] |
| Marine mammal | Koholā[a] Megaptera novaeangliae |
Also known as the humpback whale | 1979 |  |
[15] |
| Plant | Kalo Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott |
Also known as taro | 2007 |  |
[16] |
| Shrimp | ‘Ōpae ‘ula Halocaridina rubra |
Also known as the Hawaiian red shrimp | 2025 | .jpg) |
[17] |
| Snails (kāhuli) |
Succinea konaensis
|
Nine endemic snail species, one for each of the main Hawaiian islands | 2024 |  |
[18][19] |
| Tree | Kukui tree Aleurites moluccanus |
Also known as the candlenut tree | 1959 |  |
[20] |
Geology
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemstone | ʻĒkaha kū moana[a] | Also known as the black coral | 1987 |  |
[21] |
Culture
| Type | Symbol | Description | Year | Image | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ʻAuana (modern)[22] musical instrument | ʻUkulele | A type of lute popularized in Hawaiʻi | 2015 |  |
[23] |
| Dance | Hula | A traditional dance and chant of Native Hawaiians | 1999 |  |
[24] |
| Gesture | Shaka | A friendly gesture associated with Hawaiʻi 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 | _LACMA_M.2008.66.11.jpg) |
[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 Hawaiʻi, and has continued to be Hawaiʻi'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
State quarter for Hawaiʻi
State tartan for Hawaiʻi (unofficial)[32]
Island colors and flowers or lei materials
_T.G._Hartley_and_B.C._Stone_(AM_AK25422).jpg)
Notes
- This word or term is not explicitly mentioned in the Hawaiʻi state statute officially designating the referenced symbol.