The current design of the Seal of Hawaii was commissioned by the Republic of Hawaii, derived from several features of the heraldry of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Upon United States annexation in 1898 and the creation of an American civil authority in 1900, the words Territory of Hawaii replaced the republican title. With the passage of the Admission Act in 1959, the words State of Hawaii were emblazoned at the top.

Motto

Along the bottom of the seal are the state motto declared to be the motto of the former kingdom by Kamehameha III. He proclaimed in 1843 after a failed attempt by an overzealous British navy admiral to overthrow the monarchy, "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono." Translated into the English language it means, "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."

Bearers

The seal features two bearers. The image of Kamehameha the Great who unified the Hawaiian Islands into a single united kingdom stands to the left. On his opposite side, an image of the Goddess of Liberty holds Ka Hae Hawaii or the flag of Hawaii. Both bearers hold the state shield. Above the shield is a rising sun with the year of statehood, 1959. Below is the image of an phoenix rising up from a wreath of eight taro leaves, banana foliage and maidenhair fern.

Shield

The shield is quartered. On the upper left and bottom right quarters of the shield are the red, white and blue stripes representing the eight major Hawaiian Islands. Each of the two quarters have four stripes. On the top right and bottom left quarters are puloulou, symbolizing authority and power over the state. Holding the quarters together is a single star, representing the fiftieth star added to the flag of the United States.

Seals of the U.S. states
Alabama | Alaska | Arizona | Arkansas | California | Colorado | Connecticut | Delaware | Florida | Georgia | Hawaii | Idaho | Illinois | Indiana | Iowa | Kansas | Kentucky | Louisiana | Maine | Maryland | Massachusetts | Michigan | Minnesota | Mississippi | Missouri | Montana | Nebraska | Nevada | New Hampshire | New Jersey | New Mexico | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Ohio | Oklahoma | Oregon | Pennsylvania | Rhode Island | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Texas | Utah | Vermont | Virginia | Washington | West Virginia | Wisconsin | Wyoming
Other inhabited administrative areas
American Samoa | Guam | Northern Mariana Islands | Puerto Rico | Virgin Islands | Washington D.C.