List of Hawaii state symbols

The state of Hawaii has adopted numerous symbols.

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia
Type Symbol Description Year Image Source
Flag The Flag of Hawaii 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, 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 Hawaii, on July 31, 1843, 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

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]
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 ‘Opae ‘ula
Halocaridina rubra 		Also known as the red shrimp 2025 [17]
Snails
(kāhuli)

Succinea konaensis
Lyropupa striatula
Pleuropoma laciniosa kahoolawensis
Auriculella lanaiensis
Laminella venusta
Kaala subrutila
Erinna newcombi
Collonista verruca
Endodonta christenseni

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 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

Island colors and flowers or lei materials

Island Color Flower or
lei material		 Image
Hawaiʻi
(Big Island)		 Red ʻŌhiʻa lehua
Kahoʻolawe Gray Hinahina
Kauaʻi Purple Mokihana Berry
Lānaʻi Orange Kaunaʻoa
Maui Pink Lokelani
Molokaʻi Green Pua Kukui
Niʻihau White Pūpū Shells
Oʻahu Yellow Puaʻilima
Sources:[33][34]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e This word or term is not explicitly mentioned in the Hawaii state statute officially designating the referenced symbol.

References

  1. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-19 (Description of the Hawaiian flag)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  2. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-5 (State seal, description)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Berg, Annemarie (1979). Great State seals of the United States. Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-396-07705-3.
  4. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-9 (State motto)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7 (State popular name)". Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  7. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-17 (State bird)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-8.5 (State endemic tree)". Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  9. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.5 (State fish)". Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  10. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  11. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.3 (State insect)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  12. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.2 (State land mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  13. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15.7 (State limu)". Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  14. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.5 (State mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  15. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12 (State marine mammal)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  16. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15.5 (State plant)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  17. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-___ (State shrimp) / Act 71, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  18. ^ Bender, Maddie. "How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-27.
  19. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.2 (State snails)". Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  20. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-8 (State tree)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  21. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15 (State gem)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Hawaii State Legislature. "Act 6, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10.5 (State musical instrument; 'auana; kahiko)". Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  24. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-21 (State dance)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  25. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-23 (State gesture)". Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  26. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-13.5 (State individual sport)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  27. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-6.5 (State language)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  28. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 1-13 (Official languages)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  29. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10 (State song)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  30. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7.5 ("Aloha Spirit")". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  31. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-14 (State team sport)". Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  32. ^ "Hawaiian tartan". Scottish Register of Tartans. National Records of Scotland. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  33. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16.5 (Official island colors)". Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  34. ^ Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)". Retrieved September 28, 2020.
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