Hawaiian pre-statehood flags?

[Fishboy]

At a Made In Hawaii seminar two weeks ago in Honolulu, I bought a t-shirt from a new Oahu company named Island Inked that features a tattoo pattern. The shirt is black and the tattoo pattern is multi-colored running from mid-right chest, across the right shoulder and down the right arm to the elbow. The shirt has gotten positive comments from at least five locals who were impressed with the tattoo pattern, but also with the colored pattern that is made of a pre-statehood flag.

I have two questions:
Can anyone direct me to a source for pre-statehood Hawaiian flags?

I would also appreciate anything on the anthropological or cultural significance of this kind of tattoo.

Aloha pumehana,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour

[kabloink]

This page has a brief description and pictures of historical Hawaii flags.

Hawaii: historical flags
http://fotw.vexillum.com/flags/us-hi_hi.html

[Fishboy]

Thanks, Kabloink,
The site you gave me shows that my shirt has the Kanaka Maoli flag in the background. The flag is known as the “kânaka maoli flag” or “Hawaiian solidarity flag”) symbolizing the effort to regain Hawaiian native independence. This is the only non-colonial Hawaiian flag.

There's a picture of it at the bottom of that web page, and I found an explanation here
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/2001/F...ews29.html

Wikipedia also had an entry on this here http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:K...i_flag.svg

I found a t-shirt with the full flag, plus some other cool tattoo shirts here http://manoatoa.com/index.htm

Fascinating stuff, so thanks again.


Aloha pumehana,
Brian and Mary
Lynnwood, WA\Discovery Harbour