The Oklahoma state flag features an Osage warrior shield with a calumet and olive branch, representing peace and harmony between white and Native residents. The shield has white crosses symbolizing the pursuit of excellence on a sky-blue background honoring the Choctaw nation’s flag. The current flag was adopted in 1925, replacing a red flag with a white star and blue edges. Louise Fluke designed the current flag to promote solidarity between European-Americans and Native Americans. The flag has been redesigned twice, adding the state name in 1941 and standardizing dye colors in 1988.
The Oklahoma state flag has been used in one form or another since about 1925. It typically displays an Osage warrior shield, crafted from buffalo hide and hung with eagle feathers. A calumet, or Native American peace pipe, and an olive branch are depicted crossed on the shield and are said to symbolize peace and harmony between the white and Native residents of the state of Oklahoma. The shield bears several white crosses, which are considered the Native American symbol for the stars, and are said to represent the pursuit of excellence. These symbols are usually depicted against a sky-blue background, which is believed to honor the first recognized flag of any Native American nation, the plain blue flag typically flown by the Choctaw nation during the American Civil War.
The flag currently used to represent the state of Oklahoma was adopted on April 2, 1925. The previous state flag, used from approximately 1911 to approximately 1925, displayed a white star with blue edges against a bright red background. The number 46 was typically superimposed within the star, as Oklahoma was the 46th state admitted into the United States. Most historians believe the red flag fell out of favor in the early 1920s, as the color red became synonymous with communism in the minds of many. In 1924, the Daughters of the American Revolution of Oklahoma held a contest to redesign the Oklahoma state flag.
Louise Fluke is credited with designing the current Oklahoma state flag. Ms. Fluke’s project is said to promote solidarity between European-Americans and Native Americans. The flag’s symbolism is said to pay homage to more than 60 Native American tribes.
The flag currently flown as the state flag of Oklahoma has been redesigned twice since its official adoption in 1925. In 1941, the legislature elected to add the state name to the flag, in white letters below the Osage shield. Some state residents are believed to have resisted this amendment, due to a feeling that it made the flag superfluous.
The design of the Oklahoma state flag was changed again in 1988. Various flag manufacturers were found to use dyes that varied slightly in hue, and the state legislature therefore changed the Oklahoma state flag law in an attempt to standardize the use of dyes. The new regulation is believed to produce state flags that are more consistent in color.
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