The Flags of Hawaii

So I was driving around town one day and I saw the Hawaiian flag, something I have seen quite a bit since moving to Hawaii.  I often find myself wondering why in the world it has the British Union Jack on it anyway.

History says that King Kamehameha I had the flag commissioned in 1816 as a sort of hybrid between the British and United States flags--his way of showing favoritism to neither (and perhaps loyalty to none).  The eight bars are said to be representative of the eight majors islands of Hawaii.  The Union Jack itself is thought to be an indirect reference to the flag that was flown before the modern flag was created.

Called the Kanaka Maoli (native Hawaiian) flag, the center image represents the ali'i or the chiefs.  The horizontal image is a kahili, which was usually some sort of feathered standard.  The two diagonal crossed images are of course paddles to represent the voyages of the Hawaiian people.  If you compare this with the Union Jack, you can see how they are similar.  The Union Jack contains a horizontal center bar with two diagonal crossed bars behind it. 
It should be noted that many Hawaiian natives hold disdain for the modern flag and consider the Kanaka Maoli the rightful flag of Hawaii.  I supposed it should also be noted that many of these people would like to see Hawaii return to a sovereign state, as opposed to remaining a part of the United States as well.