Flag of Oklahoma
 | |
| Use | Civil and state flag |
|---|---|
| Adopted | April 2, 1925 (modified May 23, 2006) |
| Design | Buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field. |
| Designed by | Louise Fluke |
The Flag of the State of Oklahoma consists of a traditional Osage Nation buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field.
Symbolism
The Osage shield is covered by two symbols of peace: the calumet representing Native Americans, and the olive branch representing European Americans. Six golden brown crosses, Native American symbols for stars, are spaced on the shield. The blue field represents the first official flag flown by any Native American Nation, the Choctaw flag of the American Civil War.
Salute
The state legislature adopted the following salute to the flag in 1982: "I salute the Flag of the State of Oklahoma: Its symbols of peace unite all people."
History
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Oklahoma's first flag was adopted in 1911, four years after statehood. Taking the colors red, white, and blue from the flag of the United States, the flag featured a large centered white star fimbriated in blue on a red field. The number 46 was written in blue inside the star, as Oklahoma was the forty-sixth state to join the Union.
A contest, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution was held in 1924 to replace the flag, as Red flags were closely associated with communism. The winning entry by Louise Fluke, which was adopted as the state flag on April 2, 1925, resembled the current flag without the word Oklahoma on it. The state's name was added to the flag in 1941 as a tool in combating widespread illiteracy. The colors and shapes were standardized by Oklahoma Senate Bill 1359[1] and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry on May 23, 2006.
Governor's flag
According to a statute adopted in 1957, the flag of the governor of Oklahoma consists of a forest green field, fringed in gold, charged with the state seal surrounded by a pentagram of five white stars.[2]
See also
References
- ^ "Enrolled Senate Bill No. 1359". Oklahoma State Courts Network. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
- ^ Shearer, B.F. and Shearer, B.S. (2002). State Names, Seals, Flags, and Symbols: A Historical Guide (Third Edition). Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-31534-5, p. 67.
Further reading
- Hickam, Mrs. Andrew R., "The State Flag of Oklahoma", Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 9, No. 1 (March, 1931), pp. 10–11. (Online copy).
