Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 9, 1 September 2016 — Hawaiion flag bicentennial celebrated [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaiion flag bicentennial celebrated

Pu'ukoholā Heiau Nahonal Historic Site celebrated the 200th anniversary of Ka Hae Hawai'i, the Hawaiian flag commissioned by King Kamehameha the Great in 1816. Hawai'i flew the British Union Jack as a temporary standard from

1793 to 1816, when Russians raised a flag of their own in Honolulu and allegedly planned to build a fort. King Kamehameha ordered the Russians to leave, and also called for a fort and national flag for the Kingdom of Hawai'i. Later that year, Fort Kekuanohu was built and the new Hawaiian flag was raised. Held in conjunction with the National Park Service Centennial, the bicentennial event featured Hawaiian flag historian Patrick Ka'ano'i, director of Hālau O Kalama in Las Vegas.

Unfurling of Hawaiian Flag - park ranger Kapono Gaughen with retired Park Ranger Ernest Young, Sr. (white shirt) - Photo: Heinke Ka'ano'i