Hawaii Motto
Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono
The Hawaiian motto is ‘Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono’ and literally translates into ‘The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness.’
It is thought that these words were first uttered by Queen Ke’opuolani in 1825 as she was baptized into the Christian faith. However, the motto is attributed to King Kamehameha III who presided over the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1825 to 1854.
In a political context, it appeared on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii that was adopted in May 1845. In 1894, the Republic of Hawaii was established. The motto was included on the seal of the Republic, designed by Viggo Jacobsen in 1895. That seal was a modified version of the royal coat of arms of the Hawaiian Kingdom.