The State Seal of Hawaii represents the island’s transition from a tribal monarchy to a democratic government. It retains the shield and motto from the Royal Coat of Arms, but with changes to symbolize the new state. The final design was completed in 1959 when Hawaii achieved statehood. The seal features a red phoenix and rising sun to represent new life and freedom, and King Kamehameha and Liberty to symbolize unity and freedom. The words “State of Hawaii” and a star were added when Hawaii became a state.
The history of Hawaii’s state seal is representative of the island group’s transition from a tribal monarchy to a U.S. state under the rule of a democratic government. Based on the Royal Coat of Arms of the Republic of Hawaii, the State Seal of Hawaii retains a similar arrangement of two figures facing an emblem, but with symbolic changes representing the new state of Hawaii as a state. A forerunner of the current state seal of Hawaii was designed in 1895 by Viggo Jacobsen, although at that time it was used for the Republic of Hawaii, as it was known. The final design was completed when Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959.
Several design elements of the state seal of Hawaii were retained from the royal coat of arms which served as inspiration. One feature that remained unchanged was the shield that hovers between the two figures on both the coat of arms and the seal. Divided into four quadrants, two opposing quadrants contain stripes of the Hawaiian state flag and represent the eight major Hawaiian islands. The remaining dials feature a ball and rod shape, or poululu, which was a royal symbol of power. Both the royal coat of arms and the state seal of Hawaii contain the state motto, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono,” which translates as “The life of the earth continues in righteousness.”
Before the state of Hawaii, the islands were ruled by a kingdom with strict laws. The punishment for any violation was to pay with one’s life. The establishment of Hawaii as a state of the United States meant that Hawaiians would be under a democratic form of government. This was symbolized by a red phoenix added below the shield to represent new life from the ashes. Similarly, a rising sun replaced the crown above the shield, symbolizing the replacement of the monarchy with a new day of freedom.
The two warriors on the crest were replaced with images of unity and freedom. King Kamehameha, who unified the Hawaiian Islands under one rule during his reign from 1782 until his death in 1819, appears to the left of the shield. A woman representing Liberty appears to the right of the shield, holding a Hawaiian flag.
Several additions were made to the seal of Hawaii when it became a state. The words “State of Hawaii” were added above the year 1959, for the year Hawaii became a state of the United States. Finally, a star was added in the center of the shield to symbolize Hawaii as the US 50-hour state and the 50-hour star to appear on the US flag.
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