Ethnic flag

An ethnic flag is a flag that symbolizes a certain ethnic group. Ethnic flags are often introduced to the ethnic community through the respective cultural or political ethnic movements. They are popular among ethnic minorities and some ethnic majorities, especially in multiethnic countries.

History

Like the concept of the national flag itself, that of an "ethnic flag" is modern, first arising in the late 19th century; strictly speaking, the national flags of nation states are themselves "ethnic flags", and often so used by ethnic minorities in neighbouring states, especially in the context of irredentism (e.g. the flag of the Republic of Albania used as an "ethnic Albanian flag" by Kosovar Albanians).

Ethnic flags are often used in irredentism, representing the "national flag" of a proposed or unrecognized state. The first such flags were designed at the end of the 19th century, such as the Basque flag (1894) or the "Flag of Zion" used to symbolize Zionism from 1898, which became the national flag of Israel 50 years later.

Most early ethnic flags imply a connection with an unrecognized state claimed by the respective ethnicities, such as the flag of Kurdistan which originates as the flag of the Republic of Ararat (1927). A flag of the Hispanic People was designed in 1932.

Alternatively, an "ethnic flag" may represent a Pan-nationalism, such as the Pan-Arab flag which originates as the flag of the Arab Revolt during World War I, the proposed flag of Pan-Slavism (1848), Pan-Iranism or Pan-Turkism.

The concept of using ethnic flags to symbolize ethnic groups within a multiethnic state, not necessarily connected with irredentism, became popular in the later 20th century, such as the Australian Aboriginal flag (1971), the Assyrian flag (1971), the flag of the Romani people (1971), the Berber flag (1970s), the Sami flag (1986) or the Māori flag (1990). Designing ethnic or tribal flags has become very popular since the 1990s, especially for online use, and mostly do not have any kind of "official" status and must be judged based on de facto use.

Individual flags

Further information: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization

• Media related to Cultural flags at Wikimedia Commons
  • Media related to Flags of ethnic groups at Wikimedia Commons
  • Media related to Flags of active autonomist and secessionist movements at Wikimedia Commons
  • Media related to Native American flags in Latin America at Wikimedia Commons
  • Media related to Native American flags in the United States at Wikimedia Commons

image	name	group	world region	linguistic phylum	introduction	notes
	Métis flag	Métis people	America, North	mixed; Michif	1814	Received from Alexander Macdonnell of the North West Company in 1814 and used by the Canadian Métis resistance in the Battle of Seven Oaks (1816).
	Pan-Slavic colors	Slavs	Europe, Eastern	Indo-European, Slavic	1848	Adopted by the Prague Slavic Congress, 1848, used as the ethnic flag of Sorbs, Moravians and other Slavic-speaking minorities.
	Flag of Acadia	Acadians	America, North	Indo-European, Romance, French	1884	Adopted at the Second Acadian National Convention held in Miscouche, Prince Edward Island, on 15 August 1884.
	Ikurriña	Basque people	Europe, West	Basque	1895	Designed in 1894 for the province of Biscay, adopted in 1895 by "Euzkeldun Batzokija" (predecessor of the Basque Nationalist Party), adopted it as the flag of the Basque Autonomous Region in 1936, prohibited in Franco Spain 1938–1977, official adoption as the flag of the Basque Country in 1978.
	Flag of Zion	Jews	Asia, Western	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Hebrew	1898	Introduced as the flag of Zionism at the Second Zionist Congress held in Switzerland in 1898; adopted as the state flag of Israel in 1948.
	Flag of the Arab Revolt	Arabs	Asia, Western	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Arabic	1917	Introduced as the flag of the Arab nationalist revolt against the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hejaz in 1917. It became the basis of a numer of flags using the Pan-Arab colors later in the 20th century.
	Crimean Tatar flag	Crimean Tatars	Europe, Eastern	Turkic, Crimean Tatar	1917	Introduced under the Crimean People's Republic (November 1917), now used as ethnic flag.
	Pan-African flag	Black Africans	Africa	—	1920	Adopted in 1920 by the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, now used in Black nationalism and Pan-Africanism.
	Flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns	Finland-Swedes	Europe, Northern	Indo-European, Germanic, Swedish	1922	Used by the Swedish People's Party of Finland from 1922, based on a 1917 design.
	Flag of Bosnian Croats	Bosnian Croats	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Croat	1992 1996	Used by the Bosnian Croats since 1992
	Flag of Livonians	Livonians	Europe, Northern	Finnic, Livonian	1923	Used by Livonian Society (Līvõd Īt) in 1923.
	Flag of Kurdistan	Kurds, Kurdish irredentism	Asia, Western	Indo-European, Iranian, Kurdish	1927	Used by the Republic of Ararat in 1927, based on earlier designs used in the 1890s revolt.
	Hispanic flag	Hispanidad, La Raza	Americas	Indo-European, Romance, Spanish	1932	Winning entry in a contest organized by Juana de Ibarbourou in 1932.
	Flag of the Romani people	Romani people	Europe	Indo-European, Indo-Aryan, Romani	1933	Introduced by the General Union of the Roma of Romania in 1933, adopted at the First World Romani Congress in 1971.
	Malay tricolour	Malay people, Malayness	Asia, Southeast	Austronesian, Malay	1946	Introduced by the United Malays National Organisation (1946)
	Flag of the Navajo Nation	Navajo Nation	America, North	Na-Dené, Athabaskan	1968	Adopted in 1968 as the winning entry of a flag design competition; the design is partly based on the tribal seal adopted in 1952.
	Flag of Biafra	Igbo people	Africa, West	Niger-Congo, Igbo	1967	Flag of the irredentist Republic of Biafra, after 1970 used as ethnic flag.
	Assyrian flag	Assyrian people (Syriac Christians)	Asia, Western	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Aramaic	1971	A 1968 design adopted by the Assyrian Universal Alliance in 1971.
	Australian Aboriginal Flag	Aboriginal Australians	Australia	Australian	1971	Designed in 1971, given official recognition by the Australian authorities in 1995.
	Flag of the Cherokee Nation	Cherokee Nation	America, North	Iroquoian	1978	Approved by the Tribal Council in 1978, altered in 1989 (addition of a black star).
	Aramean-Syriac flag	Aramaeans (Syriac Christians)	Asia, Western	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Aramaic	1980	Used by the Bahro Suryoyo journal in 1980.
	Sami flag	Sami people	Europe, Northern	Finnic, Sami	1986	Adopted by the 13th Nordic Sami Conference on 15 August 1986.
	Tino Rangatiratanga flag	Maori	Oceania, New Zealand	Austronesian, Maori	1990	Designed in 1990 and made the subject of an activist campaign until its official recognition by New Zealand authorities in 2009.
Link	Torres Strait Islander Flag	Torres Strait Islanders	Australia	Creole, Torres Strait Island	1992	Recognised by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission in June 1992, granted official status Australia in 1995.
	Berber flag	Berbers	Africa, North	Afro-Asiatic, Berber	1998	Adopted by the World Amazigh Congress based on 1970s proposals by the Berber Academy.
	Druze flag	Druze	Levant, West Asia	West Asian,	1860	Adopted by the Druze Mental Chiefdom based on "Five Limits Star Druze Star.
	Chaldean Flag	Chaldean Christians	Asia, Western	Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Aramaic	1999	Approved by the International Chaldean Association of Professional Visual Artists and various other Chaldean organisations. Designed by Amer Fatuhi.
	Flag of the Hopi Nation	Hopi people	America, North	Uto-Aztecan	2002
File:Coptic flag.svg	Coptic flag	Copts	Africa, North	Afro-Asiatic, Coptic	2005	This flag is not recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church or the Coptic Catholic Church but is used by a New Zealand based movement called "The Free Copts" as a sign of opposition to Islamic authority in Egypt.
	Flag of Turkic peoples	Turkic peoples	Asia	Turkic	2009	Used by the Turkic Council since 2009.
	Circassian Flag	Circassians	Caucasus	Adyghe	1830	Used by Circassians since the 19th century.

See also

• List of former sovereign states
• Flags of subnational entities
• Flags of unrecognized states
• Flags of micronations

References

• Znamierowski, Alfred (2001). The World Encyclopedia of Flags. London, UK: Hermes House.
• Flags of the World - FOTW