3x5 Foot Hawaiian Kanaka Maoli Flag The Kanaka Maoli ("true people" in the Hawaiian language) flag is said to be the original flag of the Kingdom of Hawaii. This flag symbolizes the Native Hawaiians unlike the official state flag which is a hybrid of the British and American flags. The colors are red-green-yellow, said to have been Kamehameha’s personal flag, and reintroduced by Kamehameha III. The central design is also present in the official coat of arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii. At the center of the flag is a green shield bearing a coat of arms of the kanaka maoli, made up of the royal kahili, the original Hawaiian royal standard. Crossing this kahili are two paddles, representing both voyaging traditions of Hawaiians, and Kamehameha's Law of the Splintered Paddle. There are nine stripes unlike the eight striped flag of the present state of Hawaii. Each stripe represents one of the inhabited Hawaiian islands. They are: Hawaii Island, Maui, Kahoolawe, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Niihau, and Nihoa. The green in the flag represents the maka 'ainana (commoners), the land and goodness; the red represents the landed konohiki (middle class), genealogy and strength; and the yellow represents the alii, spirituality and alertness to danger. |