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In October, Minnesota’s State Emblems Redesign Commission (SERC) put out a call to residents to design a new state flag and seal. This comes after the current flag was deemed offensive to Native Americans. Citizens seemed to be thrilled with the request as thousands of people submitted their own renditions of the state flag. While some could be considered respectable, others were downright outrageous.
On Wednesday, the SERC announced that they had received over 2000 flag designs and 398 seal options. Guidelines from the North American Vexillological Association stated that the flag design must be simple and meaningful. They stressed the fact that the flag must have very few colors and must be easily recognizable from a distance.
Speaking about what the commission was looking forward to, vice chair Anita Gaul, who is also a state history teacher at Minnesota West Community and Technical College said:
“What I am looking forward to is creating a flag that we can all be proud of, and a flag that everybody can look at and say- “Yeah that’s Minnesota’s flag. That’s a cool flag. That’s very distinctive.””
Why is Minnesota’s state flag being changed?
Currently, the main element of Minnesota’s state flag includes a seal against a blue background. In the same, one can see a Native American riding off into the sunset while a White settler plows the field with his rifle leaning on a stump. According to ABC News, many opined that the seal demonstrated Indigenous people being defeated and forced to move away after the Whites won over the land.
Not only was the flag deemed offensive by the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes, but the state’s vexillology, which studies flags, also noted that the current Minnesota state flag had a complicated design. According to the North American Vexillological Association, the current state flag ranks in 67th place out of the 72 United States, Canadian state, and provincial flags.
“CHOOSE THE THREATENING LOON YOU COWARDS”: Netizens flood the internet with hilarious renditions of the potential Minnesota flag
According to Whiskey Riff, the flag submissions were made public. Netizens could see that loons, stars, fishes and water were repeated themes in the submissions. Many chose to incorporate the state’s official bird- the loon and a star which originates from the state’s motto- “L'Etoile du Nord,” which means the Star of the North.
Several flag creators also chose to depict lakes as the state is known for its numerous ponds.
Some designers also hilariously included the word “bayg,” which refers to the way Minnesotans supposedly pronounce “bags” which are taken out of grocery stores. One person also wanted the next flag to be a picture of their dog, which seemed to be a crowd-pleaser.
People not only created professional digital sketches but also sent pencil drawings of what they wished the flag could be, indicating that people of all generations took part in the contest. The internet is evidently having a field day with the submissions.
A few hilarious flags that were seen online included:
According to Anita Gaul, each submission will be looked into, with the commission narrowing down the top 25 flags. On November 21, the commission will reportedly meet at St. Paul to select the semi-finalists before choosing the top five flags and the overall best.
The commission must submit a report with the new flag and seal design to the state legislature by January 1, 2024. The same will be officially adopted by the Minnesota state on Statehood Day, which is May 11.
