2:3 The Australian Aboriginal flag

The Australian Aboriginal flag was originally designed as a protest flag for the land rights movement of Indigenous Australians but has since become a symbol of the Aboriginal people of Australia. The flag is a yellow circle on a horizontally divided field of black and red and was designed in 1971 by Harold Thomas, an Aboriginal artist descended from the Luritja of Central Australia. On 14 July 1995, both the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag were officially proclaimed by the Australian government as "Flags of Australia" under Section 5 of the Flags Act 1953. Image File history File links Australian_Aboriginal_Flag. ... Image File history File links Australian_Aboriginal_Flag. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation). ... Native title is a concept in the law of Australia that recognises the continued ownership of land by local Indigenous Australians. ... Language(s) Several hundred Indigenous Australian languages (many extinct or nearly so), Australian English, Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol Religion(s) Primarily Christian, with minorities of other religions including various forms of Traditional belief systems based around the Dreamtime Related ethnic groups see List of Indigenous Australian group... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Harold Joseph Thomas was an Indigenous Australian descended from the Luritja clan of Central Australia artist and land righs activist, he is best know for designing the Australian Aboriginal Flag. ... Language(s) Several hundred Indigenous Australian languages (many extinct or nearly so), Australian English, Australian Aboriginal English, Torres Strait Creole, Kriol Religion(s) Primarily Christian, with minorities of other religions including various forms of Traditional belief systems based around the Dreamtime Related ethnic groups see List of Indigenous Australian group... Luritja is both an Australian Aboriginal country, a group of people and a language. ... is the 195th day of the year (196th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Torres Strait Islander Flag - Ratio: 2:3 The Torres Strait Islander flag is an official Flag of Australia, and is the flag that represents Torres Strait Islander people. ... This article describes the national government of Australia. ... The Flags Act 1953 was as act of the Parliament of Australia which was notable as it established the official Flag of Australia. ...

Design

Thomas said of the flag's design,

I wanted to make it unsettling. In normal circumstances you'd have the darker colour at the bottom and the lighter colour on top and that would be visibly appropriate for anybody looking at it. It wouldn't unsettle you. To give a shock to the viewer to have it on top had a dual purpose, was to unsettle... The other factor why I had it on top was the Aboriginal people walk on top of the land. It's an obvious fact as well. So it had - that was the reason why the black was on top was visibly unsettling and because of how I was trained at art school, not to make things too obvious but to have a bit of a shock but also to say that the people walk on the land.^[1]

Different explanations have been given for what the colours represent. One view espoused on a government website is "black for Aboriginal people, red for the earth and ochre, used in ceremonies, and yellow to symbolise the sun, the constant renewer of life". ^[2] Black is also said to represent the sky at night, red has sometimes been said to show the blood of Aboriginal people during fighting with white settlers. Thomas himself said that red and yellow were obvious colours to use, since red and yellow ochre were the predominant colours used by his people. This article is about the color. ...

History

Aboriginal flag flying in Victoria square, Adelaide (2008); near where the flag was first flown

The flag was first flown on National Aborigines' Day in Victoria Square in Adelaide on 12 July 1971. It was also used in Canberra at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy from late 1972. In the early months of the emabssy—which was established in February that year—other designs were used, including a black, green and red flag made by Sydney supporters, and a flag with a red-black field containing spear and four crescents in yellow. Victoria Square from its western edge Victoria Square ( ) is a public square located in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. ... For other uses, see Adelaide (disambiguation). ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... The Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra has existed intermittently since 1972. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cathy Freeman caused controversy at the 1994 Commonwealth Games by waving both the Aboriginal flag and Australian national flag during her victory lap of the arena, after winning the 200 metres sprint; only the national flag is meant to be displayed. Despite strong criticism from both Games officials and the Australian team president Arthur Tunstall, Freeman flew both flags again after winning the 400 metres. Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman also known as just Cathy Freeman OAM (born 16 February 1973) is an Australian sprinter who is particularly associated with the 400 m race. ... Countries that competed The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held August 18-28, 1994 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... National flag and state ensign. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... A 200 metre race is a sprint running event. ... 400 m is a common track running event. ...

Aboriginal flags in front of Old Parliament House at the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra

The decision (by Prime Minister Paul Keating) to make the Aboriginal flag a national flag was opposed by the Liberal Opposition at the time, with John Howard making a statement on 4 July 1995 that "any attempt to give the flags official status under the Flags Act would rightly be seen by many in the community not as an act of reconciliation but as a divisive gesture." ^[3] However since Howard took office in 1996 the flag has remained a national flag. This decision was also criticised by Thomas himself, who said the flag "doesn't need any more recognition" ^[4] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (811x657, 252 KB) Summary Aboriginal flags at the tent embassy in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (811x657, 252 KB) Summary Aboriginal flags at the tent embassy in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra. ... Parliament House Canberra: The main entrance and the flag Parliament House is the name given to two purpose-built buildings in Canberra, the capital of Australia, where the Parliament of Australia has met since 1927. ... The Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra has existed intermittently since 1972. ... For other uses, see Canberra (disambiguation). ... For other persons named Paul Keating, see Paul Keating (disambiguation). ... This article is about the modern Australian political party. ... John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian politician and the 25th Prime Minister of Australia. ... is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1997 the Federal Court of Australia declared that Harold Thomas was the owner of copyright in the design of the Australian Aboriginal flag, and thus the flag has protection under Australian copyright law. Thomas had sought legal recognition of his ownership and compensation following the Federal Government’s 1995 proclamation of the design. His claim was contested by two others, Mr Brown and Mr Tennant. ^[5] Since then Thomas has awarded rights solely to Carroll and Richardson Flags for the manufacture and marketing of the flag.^[6] For the band, see 1997 (band). ... In Melbourne, the Federal Court is housed with other federal courts such as the High Court and the Federal Magistrates Court in the Federal Court Building on the corner of La Trobe Street and William Street The Federal Court of Australia is the Australian court in which most civil disputes... Australian copyright law is based on the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and defines copyright in Australia. ...

The National Indigenous Advisory Committee campaigned for the Aboriginal flag to be flown at Homebush stadium during the 2000 Olympics.^[7] SOCOG announced that the Aboriginal flag would be flown at Olympic venues. [1] The flag was flown over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the march for reconciliation of 2000, and many other events. Homebush is a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, located in the municipality of Strathfield. ... (Redirected from 2000 Olympics) Categories: 2000 Summer Olympics ... The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the main way to cross Sydney Harbour carrying rail, vehicular, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. ... A monument to reconciliation in Ottawa. ...

On the 30th anniversary of the flag in 2001, thousands of people were involved in a ceremony where the flag was carried from the Parliament of South Australia to Victoria Square. The Aboriginal Flag is permanently flown in Victoria Square and the front of the Town Hall, from 8 July 2002 after recommendations of the Council's Reconciliation Committee. [2] The Parliament of South Australia consists of the South Australian Legislative Council and the South Australian House of Assembly. ... is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Use

Aboriginal flag (right), alongside the Eureka Flag on top of the Melbourne Trades Hall

Many buildings in Australia fly the Aboriginal flag as well as the Australian one, such as the Melbourne Trades Hall. Various councils in Australian towns fly the Aboriginal flag from the town halls, such as Bendigo (adopted in 2005). [3] The first city council to fly the Aboriginal flag was Newcastle City Council in 1977.^[8] Image File history File links Melbourne_Trades_Hall_entrance_flags_at_top. ... Image File history File links Melbourne_Trades_Hall_entrance_flags_at_top. ... The Eureka Flag The Eureka Flag was the battle flag used at the Eureka Stockade, a gold miners revolt in 1854 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. ... Melbourne Trades Hall entrance on Lygon Street Melbourne Trades Hall is a Trades Hall building located in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and home to the Victorian Trades Hall Council. ... Melbourne Trades Hall entrance on Lygon Street Melbourne Trades Hall is a Trades Hall building located in the suburb of Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and home to the Victorian Trades Hall Council. ... For the electoral division in the Australian House of Representatives, see Division of Bendigo. ... Newcastle City Council is a Local Government Area on the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. ...

The Aboriginal flag sometimes substitutes the Union Flag in a proposed new Australian flag design

The Aboriginal flag sometimes substitutes the Union Flag in proposed new Australian flag designs. Such flags are presented in science fiction as futuristic Australian flags, as in the film Event Horizon, where it was worn by Sam Neill [4]. Many Aboriginal people object to this use, including Harold Thomas, who said “Our flag is not a secondary thing. It stands on its own, not to be placed as an adjunct to any other thing. It shouldn't be treated that way.” ^[9] Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia_with_Aboriginal_flag_replacing_Union_flag. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia_with_Aboriginal_flag_replacing_Union_flag. ... Image File history File links FIAV_proposal. ... Union Jack redirects here. ... The current Australian flag The Australian flag debate is a low-key but persistent debate over whether the Australian flag should be changed in order to remove the Union Flag from the canton, often in connection with the issue of republicanism in Australia. ... Union Jack redirects here. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Event Horizon is a 1997 science fiction horror film that was directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and written by Philip Eisner (with an uncredited rewrite by Andrew Kevin Walker). ... Sam Neill, DCNZM, OBE (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand film and television actor. ...

The sale of condoms in the colours of the Aboriginal flag won a public health award in 2005 for the initiative's success in improving safe sex practices among young Indigenous people. [5]
This article is about the male contraceptive device. ...

References

Flags of the World (or FOTW) is an Internet-based vexillological organization and resource. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Reconciliation Australia is the non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to provide a continuing national focus for reconciliation. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flags, Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, 1995.
• Aboriginal flag a symbol of reconciliation, The Sydney Morning Herald, p.13, 6 July 1995. (Preserved at AusFlag)
• Aboriginal flag has many roles, says designer, The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 September 1994. (Preserved at AusFlag)
• Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. 1992, 'Torres Strait gets a flag and a major land rights victory', ATSIC News, vol.2, no. 4, p.5.
• Australian Flags 1995, Department of Administrative Services, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
• Horton, D. (ed.) Encyclopaedia of Aboriginal Australia, Aboriginal Studies Press, Canberra, 1994.
• Official Australian Government website: It's an Honour - Symbols - Other Australian Flags 2005. Brief flag description.