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Ideodyssey
How's This For An Idea?

The peculiar History of Flags (Part 3)

Updated: 1 day ago


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Indigenous Flags



Many indigenous groups have their own distinct flags. Some were created to represent individual groups, while others were created as symbols of unified culture and identity. Here are some of the most well-known.



Aboriginal flag (Australia)


The Aboriginal flag was designed by Aboriginal artist Harold Thomas in 1970 as a symbol of collective Aboriginal identity. Black represents the people, yellow represents the sun, and red represents the earth. The flag was officially recognised in 1995 and is today flown alongside the Australian flag at most government institutions.


Fig. 1: Aboriginal flag atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge
Fig. 1: Aboriginal flag atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge
© David Schrader
© David Schrader



Māori flag (New Zealand)


Fig. 2: Maori flag atop Auckland Harbour Bridge
Fig. 2: Maori flag atop Auckland Harbour Bridge

Inspired by the Aboriginal flag, the national Māori flag was introduced in New Zealand in 1990. Each colour represents a realm in the Māori creation story: black represents Te Korekore (potential being), red Te Whai Ao (coming into being), and white Te Ao Mārama (the realm of being and light). It also features the native silver fern and a long white cloud, referencing the Maori name for New Zealand - Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud). 


© David Schrader
© David Schrader


Native North American flags


Many Native American groups and tribal nations have their own flags, with no official flag collectively representing all of them. 


Fig. 3: Iroquois Confederacy flag at the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington D.C.
Fig. 3: Iroquois Confederacy flag at the National Museum of the American Indian, Washington D.C.

Indigenous Andean (Mapuche) Flags


Fig. 4: Ceremony in Punta Cuevas, Argentina with flag of Mapuche-Tehuelche
Fig. 4: Ceremony in Punta Cuevas, Argentina with flag of Mapuche-Tehuelche

The Mapuche are a collection of Andean indigenous peoples from southern Chile and Argentina, who had retained a degree of independence from the Spanish (and later Chilean and Argentinian governments) up until the 19th century. The Mapuche are represented with various flags including the Wenufoye flag, introduced in Chile in 1992 and a flag representing the Mapuche and Tehuelche peoples in Argentina, introduced in 1995.


© David Schrader
© David Schrader


Sami (Northern Europe) 


The Sami are a non-Indo-European indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi - an area covering the northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The Sami flag was created by Astrid Båhl, and adopted in 1986. It combines the traditional Sami colours, containing cosmic symbolism.


Fig. 5: Sami flag displayed on street of Helsinki, Finland
Fig. 5: Sami flag displayed on street of Helsinki, Finland
© David Schrader
© David Schrader



Supranational Flags



Flag of the European Union


The flag of Europe was adopted by the Council of Europe in 1955 and subsequently by its successor, the European Union. It features a simple blue background and twelve gold stars, representing the shared identity of Europeans and their shared values of unity, solidarity and harmony.


Fig. 6: EU flags displayed at anti-Brexit march
Fig. 6: EU flags displayed at anti-Brexit march

Flag of the African Union


The flag of the African Union was adopted in 2010. It features a light green background representing hope, a map of the continent over a white sun and 55 gold stars representing its member states.



Flag of ASEAN


The flag of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) features a blue background representing peace and stability. In the centre are ten yellow rice stalks bound together, representing its members united together. These are placed over a red circle with a white trim representing the unity of ASEAN, with the four colours together representing the main colours of the national flags of its members.


Fig. 8: Raising of ASEAN flag, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Fig. 8: Raising of ASEAN flag, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Flag of the United Nations


The UN flag was officially adopted in 1947 and features a light blue background as the opposite of the war colour red, with white olive branches representing peace, and an azimuthal equidistant projection of the globe representing the world’s nations. 


Fig. 9: UN Flag at UN Peacekeepers Day ceremony, DR Congo
Fig. 9: UN Flag at UN Peacekeepers Day ceremony, DR Congo


Organisational Flags



Olympic flag


The Olympic flag is one of the most recognised symbols in the world, introduced at the 1914 Olympic Congress in Paris. It shows five interlocking rings in blue, yellow, black, green, and red on a white background, representing the unity of the five continents and the coming together of athletes from around the globe in friendship and competition.


Fig. 10: Hoisting of the Olympic flag at the 2016 Olympics
Fig. 10: Hoisting of the Olympic flag at the 2016 Olympics


The Red Cross/Crescent/Crystal Flags


Fig. 11: Red Cross flag after the Battle of Gravelotte (1870)
Fig. 11: Red Cross flag after the Battle of Gravelotte (1870)

The Red Cross flag is simple but instantly recognisable: a red cross on a white background. It’s a symbol of medical aid and neutrality, used to protect medical personnel and facilities in times of conflict. The organisation and its design were recognised in the First Geneva Convention of 1864. The flag is, in fact, an inverse Swiss flag, honouring the country where the organisation was founded and its commitment to neutrality.



Affiliate organisations of the Red Cross include the Red Crescent (for Muslim countries) and the Red Crystal (for secular use). Today, the symbol is used for medical treatment more generally. 

                                        



North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)


The NATO flag is simple, yet symbolic, featuring a white compass rose on a dark blue field. The compass rose represents guidance and unity, while the four lines radiating from it symbolise the alliance’s commitment to collective defence. The blue background symbolises the Atlantic Ocean.


Fig. 12: NATO flag under the Cinquantenaire Arch, Brussels
Fig. 12: NATO flag under the Cinquantenaire Arch, Brussels


Religious Flags



Buddhism


The religion of Buddhism has its own dedicated flag, designed in Sri Lanka in 1880 by the Colombo Committee and formally adopted by the World Buddhist Congress in 1952. It comprises a colourful array of stripes, each one representing a core virtue of the faith: compassion (blue), balance (yellow), virtue (red), purity (white) and wisdom (orange). Buddhist Prayer flags featuring the mantra om mani padme hum are also commonly seen displayed in Buddhist countries.



Fig. 13: Buddhist prayer flags on temple in Kyoto, Japan
Fig. 13: Buddhist prayer flags on temple in Kyoto, Japan

Buddhist symbology is also featured on the national flags of Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Tibet (defunct).




Hinduism


India
India

While Hinduism doesn’t have its own dedicated flag, its symbology does feature on the flag of India. The colours of the Indian flag represent the religions of Hinduism (saffron or orange), Islam (green) and others such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism (white). The Ashoka Chakra in the centre of the flag is the wheel of the law of dharma, with spiritual relevance for both Hinduism and Buddhism.


Fig. 14: Ashoka Chakra on wall during awards ceremony
Fig. 14: Ashoka Chakra on wall during awards ceremony

Christianity


Fig. 15: German postcard with Teutonic knight (1920)
Fig. 15: German postcard with Teutonic knight (1920)

Religious flags or banners have been around for centuries. For example, after the Christianisation of the Roman Empire, the chi-rho (☧), representing the first two letters of the Greek word for ‘Christ’ (XP), was often placed on imperial standards and later on church banners. During the Crusades, crusaders carried banners featuring the cross in various designs, one of which (the St. George’s Cross) inspired the English Flag. Christian orders such as the Knights Templar and the Teutonic Order likewise had their own flags.







Chi-Rho on Roman labarum (AI reconstruction)
Chi-Rho on Roman labarum (AI reconstruction)

As we explored earlier, the cross is today one of the most common symbols found on national flags, a symbol of the Christian heritage.




Judaism


Israel
Israel

The Star of David has been a Jewish symbol for more than a millennium, which made it an ideal choice for the flag of Israel when it declared independence in 1948.

Fig. 16: Israeli Defence Force parade (1965)
Fig. 16: Israeli Defence Force parade (1965)

Islam


As we explored earlier, many nations (15 in fact) feature the crescent moon on their flags (often combined with stars) as an enduring symbol of Islam. This symbol was introduced into the religion by the Ottomans, who borrowed it from an ancient Assyrian or Babylonian symbol of a similar fashion.



Fig. 17: The Turkish Army's entry into Izmir (1922)
Fig. 17: The Turkish Army's entry into Izmir (1922)





 
 
 

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