The use of the Union Jack is a legacy of the British Royal Navy's historical relations with the Hawaiian Kingdom and, in particular, the pro-British sentiment of its first ruler, King Kamehameha I.

Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy visited the Hawaiian Islands on three occasions during his 1791 to 1795 expedition.

Both pre- and post-1801 versions of the Red Ensign served as the unofficial flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom until 1816.

As part of the ship's transfer, the ensign of the East India Company, which consisted of the Union Jack on a field of red-and-white stripes, was taken by Adams during a ceremony with an 11-gun salute.

[9]: 185 Until 1845, visitors to the Hawaiian Islands reported various versions of the flag with different numbers of stripes and colors.

This new flag was officially unfurled May 25, 1845 at the opening of the legislative council and remains the same design as used today.

The field of the flag is composed of eight horizontal stripes, symbolizing the eight major islands (Hawaiʻi, Maui, Kahoʻolawe, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, and Niʻihau).

[16] In 1990, Governor of Hawaii John Waihee proclaimed July 31 to be Lā Hae Hawaiʻi, the Hawaiian Flag Day.

Simeona claims to have found evidence of the Kanaka Maoli flag in the state archives, though any sources he may have used have not been identified.