I took this photo of Hawaii’s motto at the gates of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu. It says, “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” which literally translates to “the life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.” This motto was further explained to me to mean “to do what is right in your life and for the land.” That’s a great motto, isn’t it?
You May Also Like
Have you tried Spam Musubi?
Sheila Beal
- October 25, 2011
You know Hawaii loves Spam. How much so? Well, Hawaii residents and visitors consume nearly 7 million cans of Spam each year. That’s a lot of Spam! With Hawaii’s love…
Iz – White Sandy Beach
Sheila Beal
- March 11, 2009
Here’s one of my favorite Hawaiian tunes by one of my favorite Hawaiian artist, Iz (Israel Kamakawiwo’ole). Take a listen and instantly be transported to relaxation on a white sandy…
Happy King Kamehameha Day!
Sheila Beal
- June 11, 2014
King Kamehameha Day is celebrated as a statewide holiday throughout the Hawaiian Islands on June 11th. This revered king was the first to unite the islands of Hawaii in the late…
Fact 20 of 50 About Hawaii: The Hawaiian Alphabet
Sheila Beal
- July 13, 2009
Today’s fact about Hawaii focuses on the Hawaiian alphabet. This 12-letter alphabet has five vowels and only seven consonants. For the most part, the consonants are pronounced the same way…
Who was Duke Kahanamoku?
Sheila Beal
- December 30, 2022
When you are in Hawaii, you may see references to Duke. You can find a beautiful statue of Duke Kahanamoku on Waikiki Beach near Kuhio Beach Park. By Hilton Hawaiian…
“It’s Aloha Friday”
Sheila Beal
- March 11, 2009
I love Fridays in Hawaii! If you’re there on a Friday, try to listen to the local radio stations that will put you in a happy weekend frame of mind. …
6 comments
@ Hawaii Tours – It’s a good one for sure. I also like my home state of NC’s motto – “Esse quam videri” which is Latin for “to be rather than to seem”. To me that means, be sincere, be transparent, be ethical, be hard working, which are all traits that I admire.
Here’s a list of all the state’s mottos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_mottos
Hawaii’s motto is my favorite.
It was originally 3 more words, meaning, “in Jesus Christ” which was later taken off for unknown reasons.
i understand the Hawaii’s motto came from an address speech of King Kamehameha, but do anyone knows who actually wrote the motto phrase for the King?
Kamehameha III stated this at the return of the government to the Hawaii people. A quite accurate read is on wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ua_Mau_ke_Ea_o_ka_%CA%BB%C4%80ina_i_ka_Pono . It would appear that he himself spoke the words.
The phrase was originally spoken by Queen Keopuolani in Sept. 1823, on her deathbed as she was baptized into the Christian faith, which is probably why she said “The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness in Jesus Christ” (In Hawaiian). Keopuolani was the mother of Liholiho and Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha II and III), so what was said with her last breaths was important and most likely repeated by advisors to the kings. When Admiral Thomas admonished Capt. Paulet and restored the Kingdom of Hawaii to Kamehameha III in 1843, his mother’s words were memorialized in “Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono” which some say actually means “The sovereignty of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.”
Why was “in Jesus Christ” dropped? In Hawaii’s Edict of Toleration enacted in 1839 and in the 1840 Constitution, it allowed for religious freedom as the Protestant leaders controlled the religions and laws which affected other churches and Native Hawaiians who still believed in their old religion.
Kamehameha III was very progressive. In Oct. 1840, he established Hawaii’s first public education system making the Hawaiʻi State DOE the oldest school system west of the Mississippi River, and only system established by a sovereign monarch.