Native American’s Flag Design is a Finalist for New Minnesota Flag
CLOQUET, Minn. –The days are numbered for the current Minnesota state flag that’s been in place since 1957.
The State Emblems Redesign Commission has narrowed the choice for a new state flag to six designs from the more than 2,600 hundred designs submitted.
One of the final designs is by a Native American woman in Cloquet.
“The absolute most important thing is that we change the flag. That’s the bottom line,” said Sarah Agaton Howes about the current Minnesota state flag.
She says in her mind, the current flag sends a negative message that does not represent Minnesota. “Minnesota doesn’t look like a farmer and an Indian moving away.”
Howes feels so strongly about changing the flag that she submitted three designs that all met the design brief the Flag Commission issued. One of the three was chosen as a finalist.
“The part that is different about my flag that does cause a little bit of prickly controversy is that my flag has stripes along the sides. 11 yellow stripes to represent the 11 tribal nations of our homeland and 87 white stripes to represent the counties. And so that’s kind of what sets my flag apart from a lot of the other flags. ”
Howes says she used traditional Ojibwe art forms as she created this flag design.” I really tried to use traditional designs in all of my work. And all of the work I’m doing is rooted in either beadwork, quilting, weaving, and taking traditional designs and kind of twisting them and making them into contemporary things.”
She says her kids are proud of her and hopes people realize that native art can be used to represent all Minnesotans.
“What’s really, really powerful is the idea of a native person designing a new flag, a new flag to replace the flag that was supposed to be us disappearing.”
Howes says all of the final flag designs are good, and that she will be pleased with whichever design is chosen. But she hopes it will be her design that’s unveiled as the new Minnesota state flag on May 11, 2024, Statehood Day.
