Oklahoma's flag: A place for Nature and Natives

Flags have been around for ages , they depict through colors , shapes and symbols the cultural heritage of a group (ethnic , religious , professional) , city , state or territory. It is not uncommon for a flag to be changed a few times over the course of history , this step being made when it dose not depict the current state in which the people that are served by it are.It is quite common when a national  flag is changed after a revolution or when  a new political doctrine becomes more popular and the current flag comes in conflict with it . All the states of the former communist block from Eastern Europe changed their flags as a result of their transition from a socialist to a democtratic regime .The flag that we will be taking a look at now is the flag of the state of Oklahoma.This flag is a very good example on how the historical and cultural background of a land can be translated in to shapes , colors and symbols. To understand it even better we must take a closer look on the historical , cultural and physical characteristics of the state of Oklahoma.When you think of Oklahoma the first image that comes in to our mind is the image of wildness , wind and endless fields and farmlands. This is not a picture of underdevelopment and primitivism as some would like to call , but rather , a image of harmony and respect for man's original home : nature. Nature is worshiped and valued in this land , being the foundation on which both the white and native american population built in time their cultural identity. The Oklahoman flag is a wonderful blend of both native american and european symbols that put together create a bold statement on the cultural and rasial duality of the state. The blue background symbolizes devotion , this cam be understood in to ways : devotion to the land or devotion to the traditional culture , language and religion. The coat of arms is in the central part of the flag , being made from a ciruclar shied with brown crosses on it and feathers hanging from the lowe side , a olive branch and a calumet. The crosses symbolize the stats , the olive branch symbolizes the white european population of the state , the olive branch being a very old european symbol , having its roots in acient greek culture.The calumet is the symbol of the native americans from Oklahoma , the calumet is a traditional native american instrument  , made from wood , used in many religious and nonreligious ceremonials. The color scheme is also very well put together , being composed mainly by colors that are frequently found in nature as browns , greens , blues , white and red. The color selection together with the symbols create a repsentative portrayal of the oklahoman cultural and natural heritage. This way the state becomes a greate advocate for the preservation of the US natural heritage and also for the preservation of the culture of the native populations which had sinificant impact on the nation's history.