Posted on: Tuesday, July 30, 2002

Big Island heiau to display king's flag

Advertiser Staff

KAWAIHAE, Hawai'i — A Hawaiian flag made to the specifications of one commissioned by Kamehameha I will be on display tomorrow at Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historical Site in observance of La Hae Hawai'i, or Hawaiian Flag Day.

A 10-minute video on the story of the Hawaiian flag will be shown continuously between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and photos from the first flag day will be displayed. The video was written and produced by historian Patrick Ka'ano'i.

In 1793, Kamehameha I struck an agreement with Capt. George Vancouver to have Britain act as a protectorate of the Hawaiian Islands. The British Union Jack was flown throughout the Islands as a symbol of this agreement, according to a National Park Service news release.

Then in 1816, Kamehameha commissioned a national flag with the Union Jack and eight alternating red, white and blue stripes representing the eight major islands.

Although former Big Island Mayor Dante Carpenter proclaimed the first Hawaiian Flag Day on July 31, 1988, the commemoration has its root in events dating to 1843.

According to historians, Lord George Paulet believed the agreement between Kamehameha and Vancouver meant permanent British control of the Islands, and he ordered that all Hawaiian flags be destroyed and the Union Jack be flown in its place.

Adm. Richard Darton Thomas was dispatched by Britain to Hawai'i to undo Paulet's order and restore the kingdom. Hawaiian flags were brought out from hiding and displayed throughout the Islands to celebrate the occasion.

On July 31, 1843, the flag was raised on what is now Thomas Square in Honolulu, named in honor of the admiral.

On that same afternoon at Kawaiaha'o Church, in conjunction with the restoration of Hawai'i's independence, Kamehameha III delivered the famous motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka 'aina i ka pono" — "The life (sovereignty) of the land is perpetuated in righteousness."