Every nation of the world has a flag. It is a symbolic representative of the people of the nation. Many flags have meanings in their symbolism. Canada for instance, spent many years under a flag of the British Empire. Hence looking at a Canada flag you first thought of Britain, then maybe of Canada. With her new flag of red and white and the hugely symbolic maple leaf; no one mistakes which country the flag represents.

The Metis Nation, over the many years of evolution, has had many flags representing the people; some that have represented different sects of the nation. For instance, the two very similar flags at the top of my pages represent the Metis Nation equally; but come from two complete directions of the evolution of the Metis Nation.

These two flags come from the fur trade. Most historians believe that the red flag represents the colours of the Hudson's Bay Company, while the blue represents the North West Company; however, the blue was flown before the red. Cuthbert Grant flew the blue flag at the Battle of Seven Oaks.

The meaning of the infinity symbol is a little harder to pin down. Many Metis people believe the red background and white infinity symbol represent the joining of two peoples, red and white, together as a new nation into infinity. Or, that the new nation of red and white will survive into infinity. Both of these beliefs have relevance.

The flag was first used by Metis resistance fighters prior to the Battle of Seven Oaks in 1816. It is the oldest Canadian patriotic flag indigenous to Canada. The Union Jack and the Royal Standard of New France bearing the fleur-de-lis are older, but these flags were first flown in Europe. As a symbol of nationhood, the Metis flag predates Canada's Maple Leaf flag by 150 years! The blue flag resembles the blue and white flag of St. Andrew, the national flag of Scotland. The blue and white colours of the Metis flag are also the traditional colours the Province of Quebec. The traditional colours of the Hudson's Bay Company were red and white.

During the time of the rebellions in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Louis David Riel proposed many different flags to represent the new Nation. Many of these flags had religious overtones to them because not only was Louis Riel a very religious man, but the Metis People were also greatly influenced by the Roman Catholic Missionaries of the time. As well Louis Riel wanted to have an Irish influence in the flag, as a further symbol of the roots of many Metis to Ireland. This Irish influence was also a representation of Louis Riel's close affiliation with the Fenian movement of the day. Riel designed many flags, some with buffalos, some with clover-leafs and many with religious icons. None of the proposed flags of Riel have carried through to this day as a representative of the Metis People. Click here to see a rendition of the flag that was flown under Riel's Provisional government.

During the Battle of Batoche, the Metis women and children were forced to hide in caves along the Saskatchewan River. While hiding, these woman crafted a flag to encourage their men not to give up. This flag is known as Surtoute Liberte'. The flag has a blue background with a wolf's head and a hand (palm outward) in the middle, with the following words in Michif in a banner "Out Homes, the Altar, Above All Liberty". This flag is the Battle Standard of the Metis Nation.

So today the representative organizations of the Metis Nation fly one of the two flags shown above. Both are equal as a representation of the Metis Nation, with none of the past separation placed upon them. I prefer the red flag with its romantic and highly symbolic statement that the Metis Nation is the joining of the two nations (red and white) forever into infinity.