Oklahoma Flag History

Adopted: November 1, 2006

Oklahoma Flag Design: Buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers on a sky blue field.

Designed by Louise Fluke

The Oklahoma flag features an Osage warrior's shield on a blue background. An olive branch and a calumet, or peace pipe, lay across the shield. Seven eagle feathers decorate the shield. Both of these items are symbols of peace. The design was officially adopted as Oklahoma's flag in 1925. In 1941 the word "Oklahoma" was added beneath the shield.

The First Oklahoma State Flag

Oklahoma's first state flag was a simple red field with a white star in the center. The white star had the number 46 inside it, representing Oklahoma as the 46th state in the union. The Oklahoma legislature adopted it in 1911. However, during the 1910s and 1920s, many Oklahomans began to associate the red flag with Communism and labeled it the "red rag of sedition." Oklahoma soldiers did not want to carry the flag because it looked like an enemy's flag. Others felt that the design lacked significance or positive meaning. It reminded them of the red flags people would hang on a house to warn visitors that a resident had a contagious disease.

In the mid-1920s, Joseph Thoburn, the executive secretary of the Oklahoma Historical Society, worked with the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and held a contest where artists could submit designs for a new flag.
The winner was Louise Funk Fluke, an Oklahoma artist who had attended Columbia University and the Chicago Art Institute. Fluke had consulted with Thoburn about Native American lore and she drew inspiration from Native American artifacts at the Historical Society. One of the items, an Osage shield, is on exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center today.

The official description from the Oklahoma Statutes describes the flag as such:

A sky-blue field with a circular rawhide shield of an American Indian Warrior, decorated with six painted crosses on the face thereof, the lower half of the shield to be fringed with seven pendant eagle feathers and superinduced upon the face of the shield a calumet or peace pipe, crossed at right angles by an olive branch as illustrated by the design accompanying this resolution.

According to Fluke, almost every aspect of the flag has an important meaning. The blue field represents devotion. The shield represents engaging in warfare only when it is necessary for defense, and the crosses on the shield are a traditional Osage motif that represents stars. The feathers do not have any meaning; Fluke merely copied them from the original shield. The peace pipe and olive branch crossed over the shield show that peace is above all. Fluke said that the entire flag represents Oklahomans united in peace.

The Oklahoma legislature adopted the new flag on April 2, 1925, and added the word "Oklahoma" to it in 1941.

Oklahoma Flag Salute

The state legislature adopted the following salute to the flag in 1982:

"I salute the Flag of the State of Oklahoma: Its symbols of peace unite all people."

HERE'S WHY...

Extra care is taken in making these flags. Flag designs are researched to ensure that they are authentic and current. We use sturdy fabrics, allowing the flags to be flown outdoors, indoors, or carried in parades.

Constructed with 100% Heavy Duty Nylon (digital dyed) ★ Beautiful, brilliant colors ★ Resistant to wear and tear of sun & rain ★ Complete with heavy canvas heading & brass grommets to meet the most demanding commercial and residential uses.

• All outdoor flags are finished with heavy-duty thread, polyester heading, brass grommets, and four needle fly hem
• State flags constructed to precise specifications
• Flies in the slightest breeze
• Proudly Made In the USA
• Beautiful Presentation - This Oklahoma Flag makes an excellent gift for friends, parents, or to PROUDLY display on your HOME or OFFICE.

 
HEAVY-DUTY NYLON OUTDOOR STATE FLAGS WITH SOLAR SHIELD

Our most popular and versatile outdoor Oklahoma flag, USA Flag Co. flags offer the optimum combination of elegance and durability for every purpose. The 100% nylon material provides a rich, lustrous appearance. Our flags have superb wearing strength due to the material’s superior strength-to-weight ratio and will fly in the slightest breeze. State flags are finished with strong, polyester canvas headings and spurred brass grommets, and four needle fly hem. The result is a flag that will be flown with pride year after year.

SOLAR SHIELD

• Rich, Vivid Colors
• Durable
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• Sheds Water
• Lightweight for Flyability

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