Oklahoma State Flags
What is the Design of the Oklahoma State Flag?
The Oklahoma state flag honors more than 60 groups of Native Americans and their ancestors. The center shield is the battle shield of an Osage warrior. It is made of buffalo hide and decorated with eagle feathers. Two symbols of peace lie across the shield. One is the calumet, or peace pipe. The other is an olive branch.
Two symbols of peace - the peace pipe and an olive branch - cover the buffalo hide shield. The four white crosses on that shield are Native American signs.
Oklahoma State Flag Symbolism?
The current Oklahoma state flag is a reflection of the state's traditional mixture of Native American and colonial heritage.
The Osage shield is covered by two symbols of peace: the Plains-style ceremonial pipe 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 is inspired by the Choctaw flag adopted by the tribe in 1860 and carried though the American Civil War. The blue field also represents devotion. The shield surmounted by the calumet and olive branch represents defensive or protective warfare, showing a love of peace by a united people.
Who Designed the Oklahoma State Flag?
The current state flag of Oklahoma, was designed by Louise Fluke. The artist developed the flag based on a suggestion made by Joseph Thoburn of the Oklahoma Historical Society.
When was the Oklahoma State Flag Adopted?
Oklahoma adopted its first state flag in 1911. The red background of the flag referred to the Native American population, and its central white-and-blue star and number 46 represented Oklahoma’s admission to the Union as the 46th state.
The Daughters of the American Revolution organized a contest to develop a new design, and a new flag was adopted on April 2, 1925. On May 9, 1941, the name of the state was added to the background of the original flag. The legislature of Oklahoma made clear specifications for the color shades of the flag on November 1, 1988. It still stands as the official state flag for Oklahoma until today.
