Beth Fukumoto: Would You Win A Trivia Quiz About Hawaii's Emblems And Symbols? - Honolulu Civil Beat


About the Author

Beth Fukumoto

Beth Fukumoto served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives. She was the youngest woman in the U.S. to lead a major party in a legislature, the first elected Republican to switch parties after Donald Trump’s election, and a Democratic congressional candidate. Currently, she works as a political commentator and teaches leadership and ethics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach her by email at bfukumoto@civilbeat.org.

What started out as the basis for a fun column ended up being an enriching journey into Hawaii’s history.

Before researching this column, I would have answered these three questions confidently and … incorrectly.

What is the official state sport? My answer: Surfing, obviously. 

That’s partially correct. Outrigger canoe paddling was designated the official team sport in 1986 before surfing became the state’s official individual sport in 1998.

What is the Aloha Spirit? My answer: A warm, positive sense of being that can’t be captured in the English language. 

Legislators actually codified a good description in 1986. So, while I still think the spirit of aloha transcends words, it is defined in state law. 

What is Hawaii’s state fish? My answer: The humuhumunukunukuapuaa!

The law that designated our official state fish was repealed in 1990 and re-instituted permanently in 2006. Today, the humuhumunukunukuapuaa is our official state fish. However, if you were, like me, singing along with Keiki Calabash in the early ’90s, our “famous little fish” wasn’t as “o-fish-al” as the song suggested.

Say aloha to humuhumunukunukuapuaa, or reef triggerfish, the Hawaii state fish. (Bernard Spragg/Wikimedia Commons)

These are the things you discover when you find yourself decades deep in the Session Laws of Hawaii seeking the origins of Hawaii’s Emblems and Symbols statutes.

In my journey down this rabbit hole, I read the final acts of the 1959 Hawaii Territorial Legislature that designated our state motto, state seal, and official nickname “The Aloha State” in the months before statehood in 1959. 

I found a variety of flora and fauna that legislators through time deemed symbolic of our state. The humpback whale became our official marine mammal in 1979. But that didn’t stop legislators from naming a second marine mammal – the Hawaiian monk seal – as the official state mammal in 2008. The opeapea (aka the Hawaiian hoary bat) joined the ranks of Hawaii’s fauna designates as the official land mammal in 2015.

Our flora category has experienced similar growth. Since the kukui tree was adopted as our state tree in 1959, we establish the yellow hibiscus as our state flower, kalo as our state plant, and the ohia lehua as our state’s official endemic tree. This year, the Legislature passed a bill to add an official state limu to the list.  

This new designation was the catalyst for my journey through our legislative history. 

At first, I thought a review of the symbols we’ve enshrined in law might make for a fun column. California designated a state fife and drum band, and Washington has an official Scottish tartan. You never know what you might find in these sections of the law.

But what started as a personal trivia challenge quickly became an enriching, learning experience that made me feel more connected to my home. That’s the real power of symbols. These trees, sports, birds and flowers are tangible manifestations of the ideals, values, and histories that remind us of who we are and where we come from. 

The Hawaiian monk seal has been the official state mammal since 2008. (Courtesy: NOAA)

Big Island Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa’s bill to make limu kala the official state limu is the perfect example. 

Kahaloa explained that the bill is the result of conversations that took place during last year’s “Year of the Limu” as advocates worked to bring awareness to the cultural and ecological significance of limu in Hawaii’s oceans.

Limu is a critical component of our nearshore ecosystem with a direct impact on our fish population. As a food source, it provides high nutrition with a low environmental impact. For these reasons, this designation is very much meant to point us toward a sustainable future. But it’s also about preserving tradition, as Kahaloa points out.

“Kupuna have told me stories of limu that is no longer available and how prevalent it was in their diets,” Kahaloa said. “This memory sticks with me as my generation does not have the same experiences.” 

Amidst economic or social crises, it’s easy to disregard efforts to designate state symbols as a distraction. In the past, I might have seen it that way too. But these symbols help give us meaning and move us to action.

In working together to regenerate limu, we’re reviving lost traditions, protecting our natural resources, and building toward a more responsible, sustainable future.

As a nation, we would get a lot more done if we could approach problems with shared symbols and common definitions. But we haven’t worked hard enough to build a diverse, inclusive narrative with symbols that represent the evolution of our country over time. So I’m happy to see that, here at home, our list of “Emblems and Symbols” is still open for reinvention. 


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About the Author

Beth Fukumoto

Beth Fukumoto served three terms in the Hawaii House of Representatives. She was the youngest woman in the U.S. to lead a major party in a legislature, the first elected Republican to switch parties after Donald Trump’s election, and a Democratic congressional candidate. Currently, she works as a political commentator and teaches leadership and ethics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Opinions are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Civil Beat’s views. You can reach her by email at bfukumoto@civilbeat.org.


Latest Comments (0)

I found this online. So is the Picasso triggerfish the state fish or all triggerfish?

kailua_kamaaina · 3 weeks ago

"Legislators actually codified a good description in 1986." I came across this a while ago when trying to explain the Aloha Spirit to others on the Mainland. I created a picture of it and framed it. It makes a nice gift when giving "Aloha" carvings to friends who are not as familiar with its meaning.

Natalie_Iwasa · 3 weeks ago

Learned something plus a trip down memory lane! More background on the fish:I worked at the Legislature in the Session of 1985 when the floor debate on the State Fish was heated. I recall then Representative Peter Apo arguing vociferously for the manini (Acanthurus triostegus) over the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa. As I recall his point, conveyed with a smile and great sense of humor, was the manini represented the "little guy". The compromise? Let the humu be the State fish for 5 years and then sunset it. What's next? I believe with have a State Mineral...but don't worry, titles can be temporary as the humu, a victim of great debate (more than most items, except the seatbelt law, that year), can be. Thus, as your research showed, the humu lost its crown, but then regained it long after I left working at the Leg. Now someone will have to fill in the rest of the story.

DDinell · 3 weeks ago

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