Hawaiian Marketplace

The Hawaiian culture is famous for its preoccupation with the integration and adoption of multi-fold meanings and deeply-rooted symbolism. The Flag of Hawaii, or Ka Hae Hawaii in local parlance, is a good example of this distinct Hawaiian character. The Hawaiian flag is all about the symbolic and beautiful depiction of the amazing aspects of the rich and distinct history of Hawaii. Ka Hae Hawaii symbolizes the Kingdom of Hawaii, which is the republic of Hawaii. This is both its former status as an independent territory and current status as a member-state of the United States. One interesting trivia about the Hawaiian flag is that it is one of the oldest flags currently in use. It is displayed with extreme pride in many places in the islands of Hawaii.

The History of Hawaiian Flag

The origins and history of the Hawaiian Flag is very interesting. While there are debates on the details and circumstances behind its origins, historians agree that the person responsible for its inception is Kamehameha the Great.

The best way to understand and appreciate the meaning and significance of the elements of the Hawaiian flag is by studying the life and times of the King responsible for its inception. Kamehameha I is one of the more successful rulers of the Kingdom of Hawaii. He is responsible for the ascension of a sovereign territory in the Islands of Hawaii that gained the recognition of major powers worldwide. Prior to the reign of King Kamehameha I, the islands were controlled by different tribal chiefs, and the King was the person responsible in uniting all eight major islands.

The King is known to be a self-driven and persistent ruler. He is reputed to be a highly skilled and brave warrior. He endeared himself to his subjects by his dedication and commitment in protecting their welfare and sovereignty. Non-Hawaiians were barred by the King from participating or interfering in the affairs on his Kingdom. King Kamehameha has effectively represented his Kingdom in the international scene and was able to forge strategic alliances and cooperation with other states. He was able to steer Hawaii effectively to become a major hub of industry. It was during his rule that the export of pineapple and coffee and trade of sandalwood and fur flourished.

The Design of the Hawaiian Flag

Kamehameha the Great commissioned in 1816 the services of a Royal Navy officer for the design of the Hawaiian flag. This is the main reason why UK character is very evident in the design. Particularly, the upper left corner section of the Hawaiian flag closely resembles the Union Flag, which symbolizes the important alliance between the Islands and UK. The design assumes a two-tier meaning with the depiction of the alia, which is mainly a symbol that is created from the crossing of two spears and rooted with a spear that is standing upright.

The eight horizontal stripes that form the main body of the Hawaiian flag symbolizes the eight major islands of Hawaii – the Big Island, Oahu, Lanai, Kahoolawe, Maui, Niihau, Molokai and Kauai. Certain historical records point that the first version of the Hawaiian flag only bore 7 stripes before it was modified with an additional stripe. It is generally believed that the alternating colors of white, red and blue were erroneously integrated in the design, and that the color sequence should have been red, white and blue.

The history from 1700-1898 marked the first contact with the western world. Captain James Cook’s arrival on Kauai in 1778 is the first recorded arrival of Europeans in Hawaii.

In the late 1700′s, Hawaii had become a port of call for many U.S. traders sailing between North America and China. A lucrative trade of supplying sandalwood to China, silks and porcelain to New England, and weapons and supplies to Hawaii was established.

Due to the overharvesting of the sandalwood trees, by the early 1820′s, the forests had largely disappeared. The Hawaiian agricultural system was largely gone and many chiefs found themselves in debt to foreign merchants.

After the death of Kamehameah in 1819, power passed to one of his wives, Kaahumanu, after his son, Liholiho, was reluctant to govern. Kaahumanu quickly put an end to the “kapu”, or taboos, that had been established for over 600 years. With temple-smashing and idol-burning, the old religion was cast aside.

The timely arrival of Christian missionaries from Boston in 1820, began an era of Christian worship and the start of a written Hawaiian language.

A few years after the missionnaries arrival, whalers began calling on Hawaiian ports. From 1825 to 1870, Hawaii was an important stop-over for whalers in the Pacific. With up to 600 ships per year arriving, Lahaina and Honolulu were filled with shops, saloons, brothels and hotels.

The children of the missionaries established businesses suppyling these whale ships.

By the early 1870′s, with whaling grounds becoming depleted and whale oil prices losing out against less expensive petroleum products, the whaling boom was over.

Beginning in 1835, for nearly 100 years, sugarcane and sugar sales to the U.S. were one of the mainstays of Hawaiian economy. By this time, the same American business elite owned a large amount of land in Hawaii and profited from sales of sugar to the United States.

Sugar cane was grown on most of the islands by the early 1870′s, and plantation owners were forced to look outside the islands for new workers. The first group of imported labor came from China, followed in succession by Portugese, Korean, Japanese and Filipino workers. Historians gnerally describe the period of history from 1700-1898 as a period of continued loss of self-reliance and exploitation by economic and political forces from other parts of the world.

In the ancient history of Hawaii, the Big Island of Hawaii is believed to be the first island to be colonized by the Polynesians during the second or third century AD.

It seems plausible that by 1000 AD, groups of warring Tahitians had arrived and conquered the Marquesans, who were forced into servitude.

In the 12th century, a powerful Tahitian priest named Paao arrived on the Big Island of Hawaii. Paao established the “kapu” system, a practice of taboos that rigidly controlled all levels of social interaction.

Paao installed himself as the high priest, or “Kahuna”, and a Tahitian chief named Pili as the King. This lineage of royalty and priests established itself as the rulers of Hawaii for several hundred years.

Under this system, one powerful royal chief ruled each island. Land was distributed to all the chiefs below him. These chiefs, in turn allowed commoners to work the land, but not own it.

This feudal system existed for several centuries. The priests of the islands directed that temples, or “heiaus” be built on auspicious sites, and remains of these temples can still be found throughout the islands today.

Since there was no written Hawaiian language, ancient history was passed on to each new generation through chants and legends told by the priests. As the priests died off, so too, did the ancient knowledge of the ancestors.

Despite this, it is known that the history of the islands involved war and bloodshed, including human sacrifice, as opposing chiefs attempted to gain control of larger areas. In 1791, a great warrior named Kamehameha became the first leader to unite the island of Hawaii. By 1795, Kamehameha was also the sole chief of Maui, Molokai and Oahu.

And, by 1810, Kaui had agreed to accept his rule as well. For the first time, a single ruler governed the islands. Click here for more on Hawaii Ancient History.