At the annual meeting on
September 15, 2001, I gave a brief explanation
about our tribal flag. Since then, I have been
asked other questions regarding the flag, so, a
more complete explanation is in order.
In 1986, the then Loyal Shawnee
Tribe was asked by the Oklahoma Indian Affairs
Commission to provide a flag to display on a
Legislature Approved Flag Plaza on the grounds of
the Oklahoma State Capital. The 39 tribes were
invited, but we did not have a flag. The Business
Council requested me to work with our people to
develop one. After visiting with various members
about what type of flag we wanted, it was apparent
that we did not want a generic flag having the
usual bow and arrow, spears, drums, headdresses or
other standard Indian fare. Tribal elders, Jess
and Rachel (Washington) Brown, Victoria Daugherty
and others discussed various items as the
ceremonial cooking kettles, Shawnee Roach, White
corn, or the long Council Houses that were
indicative of Shawnee customs. From these
meetings, the Tribal Flag evolved.
The blue field represents the
sky. The large, bright yellow star represents
Tecumseh, certainly the most revered Shawnee, and
with little argument, the most famous of all
Native Americans. Commonly, he is referred to as
Shooting Star. The red rectangle having openings
at each end represents the ceremonial grounds,
with the 12 small stars inside being the milky
way. The individual stars have several meanings in
tribal history, stating there are 12 clans, the
Rabbit, Raccoon, Panther, Turtle, Wolf, Deer,
Turkey, Snake, Bear, Horse, Eagle, and the Owl.
Others listed could be the Wildcat, Possum, and
the Elk but I have not been able to determine
which is correct. Some say there are as many as 14
clans, others say 10, but the majority list 12.
The milky way has two meanings.
Some state the small stars represent Shawnee
babies on the way to earth and another meaning
forwarded is that the stars are our ancestors who
have left earth. With the limited knowledge
available, I think we should choose to accept both
theories. Victoria Daugherty interjects that the
12 stars could represent the 12 elder leaders.
On the bottom of the flag are
two White Oak Leaves. These were taken from a
White Oak tree at Victoria Daugherty’s camp at the
Quapaw Pow-Wow grounds. Victoria stated that these
White Oak leaves would represent the modern day
Shawnee. As it turns out, the elevation of the
Loyal Shawnee to the Shawnee Tribe by the U. S.
Congress last year was a fruition of Victoria’s
prediction. The two leaves are in my possession,
sealed in plastic, and someday I hope we can have
a Shawnee Tribal Museum where they can be
displayed.
After discussing the flag
layout with our elders, I asked my good friend
Charles Banks Wilson to help with the art work. On
a personal note, Charles just last week (Nov. 14,
2001) was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall bf Fame.
He painted all the murals in the Oklahoma State
Capitol, which, by the way, is now getting crowned
with a dome to celebrate the 100 years of
statehood! I am proud to call him a friend. He
also stated during our work sessions on the flag
that I would make a good third grade art student
(a joke I hope). After many months of work, our
flag was approved by the council and became a
reality.
When we presented it to the
Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission it was not
accepted because at that time, we were not a
federally recognized Tribe. Of course Public Law
106-568 solved that problem. We are now in the
process of having more flags made so that the
Shawnee Tribe can be properly recognized at
appropriate functions. I am truly honored to have
had a part in developing this flag. Especially the
time I got to spend with the above mentioned
tribal elders. I will never forget their words of
wisdom. They truly are Great Shawnee people.
The tribal seal is a take off
of the flag, the difference being that the date,
November 7, 1811, is the date of the battle of
Tippecanoe. On this day there was only one Shawnee
Tribe and we thought it appropriate never to
forget what a Great Nation we were. So when you
view your flag and seal remember what our
ancestors endured to have us in our present
position. Share this history with the young ones
as they need to know and we must never forget.
Copies of the flags were given to those at the
annual meeting, would like each Shawnee family to
have a copy of our flag. Contact me or your
council members and we will mail one to you. I
appreciate the interest our tribal members have
shown for our elected officials and look forward
to advancing the tribe in all areas.
Miami, Oklahoma
December 1, 2001
