What do these words mean and how did they come about?
If you read an earlier post, you are aware of the great king of Hawaii, King Kamehameha I. He was followed by several other Kings—Kamehameha II, III, IV, and V.
In 1843 during the reign of Kamehameha III, a British warship visited Hawaii. They lowered the Hawaiian flag and replaced it with the English flag. They even changed the Hawaiian names of streets to English names.
But after about six months, another British admiral, Richard Thomas, arrived and gave the land and the Hawaiian flag back to the Hawaiians.
The king celebrated with his people, saying the words, Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono!
The words mean The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.
On May 1, 1959, this phrase was adopted as Hawaii’s state motto.
To read more on the state motto and to see a picture of Kamehameha III, click on this link.
Mahalo for visiting!
Cheryl
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I love hearing from my readers! Mahalo for visiting and commenting. Aloha! --Cheryl