Ua Mau Ke Ea Hawaiian Culture Shirt - Aloha Tee, Hawaii Heritage Gift, Pacific Islander

Ua mau ke ea o ka 'āina i ka pono. The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness. The words of King Kamehameha III, and still the motto of Hawai'i today.

The phrase was spoken on July 31, 1843, at Thomas Square in Honolulu, after the Hawaiian Kingdom was restored to its sovereign rule following the brief Paulet Affair. In those nine words, the king bound three Hawaiian truths together: 'āina (the land), ea (life and sovereignty), and pono (righteousness, balance). To this day the phrase is repeated at high school graduations, at sovereignty marches, and at family gatherings across the islands. It is a sentence that keeps doing its work.

For locals, this design wears the phrase that has carried Hawaiian identity forward through every era. For visitors, it is a souvenir with the weight of history behind it — a memory of Hawai'i you can keep close.

Soft unisex tee. Multiple sizes and colorways available.