Flag of Oklahoma

From Oklahoma

The flag of Oklahoma consists of a traditional Osage Nation buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field.

The Osage shield is covered by two symbols of peace: the peace pipe or calumet representing Native Americans, and the olive branch representing whites. 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.

History

The first state flag to fly over Oklahoma 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 centered white star edged in blue on a red background. The number 46 was written in blue inside the star, as Oklahoma is the forty-sixth state of the union.

A contest was held in 1924 to replace the flag, as the image of a white star on a red background was closely associated with communism. The winning entry, which was adopted as the state flag on 2 April 1925, resembled the current flag without the word Oklahoma on it. The state's name was added to the flag in 1941. The Oklahoma Flag's colors and shapes were officially standardized May 23, 2006 and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry. For more information, check Oklahoma Senate Bill 1359.

It should be noted that it is now arguably a crime to fly the original state flag in Oklahoma, since Oklahoma state law makes it a felony to fly a red flag in the state. (Oklahoma Statute 21 § 374, see also RedFlagPress.com and Laws to ban red flags.

(This article was originally based on Wikipedia:Flag_of_Oklahoma.)