§ 91. State flag - Design
The banner, or flag, of the design prescribed by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 25, Third Legislature of the State of Oklahoma shall be, and it hereby is superseded and replaced by one of the following design, towit:
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 superimposed 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, and underneath said shield or design in white letters shall be placed the word "Oklahoma", and the same is hereby adopted as the official flag and banner of the State of Oklahoma.

Laws 1925, c. 234, p. 340, § 1; Amended by Laws 1941, p. 90, § 1.

[NOTE: Under the Oklahoma legislative and legal processes, a concurrent resolution does not have the impact of law, but rather espresses the sentiments of the Legislature. (A concurrent resolution is considered by both the House and the Senate.)

The following resolution does not have a legal effect on the appearance of the state flag, but dictates guidelines which the Legislature would like to see followed.]

WHEREAS, June 14, 1988, has been designated as Flag Day; and

WHEREAS, the Oklahoma State flag originally designed by Mrs. George Fluke, Jr. was approved by the 10th State Legislature and became the official emblem of Oklahoma on April 2, 1925; and

WHEREAS, the state flag is described in Section 91 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma Statutes as:

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 superimposed upon the face of the shield a calumet or peace pipe, crossed at right angles by an olive branch, and underneath said shield or design in white letters shall be placed the word "Oklahoma"; and

1. the Osage Indian Warrior's Shield to be of tan buckskin;
2. the background to be of a perfect blue;
3. the six small crosses on the shield and the thongs lacing the edge of the shield to be darker tan or brown;
4. the eagle feathers to be white tipped with very dark brown;
5. the bowl of the Calumet or Indian peace pipe to be red with a pale ivory stem and decorated with a red tassel; and
6. the olive branch to be grey-green; and

WHEREAS, it is truly fitting that the Oklahoma flag uniting the ancient lore of the Indian and the white man and symbolizing the peace of a united people should be standardized in color as an example of the solidarity and patriotism of such people; and

WHEREAS, Oklahoma is entering into its 100th year and the cultural and historic integrity of the Oklahoma state flag as designed by Mrs. George Fluke, Jr., and subsequently approved by the Oklahoma Legislature should be preserved and maintained.

Now, Therefore, be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the 2nd Session of the 41st Oklahoma Legislature, the Senate concurring therein:

1. THAT the Oklahoma state flag be standardized with the following colors:

   Field - French Blue (PMS - 285c)

   Shield - Amber (PMS - 465c)

   Crosses and thongs - Gold Brown (PMS - 174c)

   Bowl of Pipe and Tassel - Ruby (PMS - 195c)

   Body of Pipe - Flesh (PMS - 468c)

   Olive Branch - Dartmouth Green (PMS - 554c)

   Shading of feathers - Flesh and Gold Brown combination (PMS - 468c and 174C)

   Outlines - Brown (PMS - 469c)

2. THAT effective November 1, 1988, the Office of Public Affairs, any other agency of the state, or any political subdivision of the state specify the colors set forth in paragraph 1 when ordering an Oklahoma state flag.

3. THAT all persons who or companies which manufacture the Oklahoma state flag and in any manner design or portray the state flag be urged to use the colors specified in paragraph 1 in the manufacturing, designing or portraying of the flag.

4. THAT copies of this resolution be distributed to the Office of Public Affairs, each county in this state for further distribution to the purchasing officers in each municipality in the county, and to the administrative office of each agency of this state.

Adopted by the House of Representatives the 14th day of June, 1988.
Adopted by the Senate the 14th day of June, 1988.
Filed with the Secretary of State June 15, 1988.

The original state flag of Oklahoma, designed in 1911, was a simpler design and used the colors and symbols of the flag of the United States of America: a red field centered by a white star bordered in blue, inside of which was the number "46" in blue, since Oklahoma was the 46th state added to the Union.

After the Russian Revolution in 1917, flags with a field of red and the single star became associated with Communism. In 1924 a contest was held to select a new design for the Oklahoma flag. The winning design - by Mrs. Louise Funk Fluke, an artist from Oklahoma City - was essentially the Oklahoma flag we see today.

A larger picture can be seen here.

Detail of the central portion of the flag:

The state flag displays symbols from the sixty-some different groups of Native Americans living in Oklahoma.

The name "Oklahoma" was added to the flag in 1941, some say unnecessarily because of the distinctiveness of the Oklahoma flag.

Return to my Oklahoma page.

Next Oklahoma Regalia page.

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page