ST PAUL, Minn. — And then there was one.
The State Emblems Redesign Commission settled on one foundational design for its new state flag Friday, following an hours-long meeting in which they debated between 90 variants of three finalists.
On Tuesday, the State Emblems Redesign Commission somewhat-cemented in a new official state seal, pending the commission's final final approval. It also eliminated two flag finalists from its initial group of five, landing on the last three to debate at Friday's meeting.
Friday's chosen flag features a navy abstract shape of Minnesota, a white star, which the designer said "represents our state's motto, L'etoile du Nord, meaning 'star of the north.'"
DESIGNER'S FULL STATEMENT via THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY:
The three colors on the right signify important aspects to Minnesotan history and culture: the white stripe symbolizes snow; the green stripe represents the beauty of our nature and also the important role agriculture has played in our history; and the light blue stripe represents the significance of water to our state, each as the land of 10,000 lakes, the birth state of the Mississippi River, and the origins of Minnesota’s name –which came from the Dakota language– and translates to “a place of sky-tinted water.” Overall, I wanted the design to be very simple while also symbolizing the various important aspects of our history, cultures, and people.
The commission will now choose between five variations of flag submission number F1953.
Both designs must be decided on by the commission and presented to state lawmakers by Jan. 1.
Variations of each flag finalist as of Friday morning can be viewed here:
In November, the state gave the public its first insight into the designs the commission collected over a month-long submission period.
The commission narrowed the field from more than 2,000 options over the following weeks, and now, with its year-end deadline looming, the commission is feeling the pressure.
Unless rejected by lawmakers next session, the new emblems will officially be instituted on Minnesota Statehood Day, May 11.
The change comes after years of community scrutiny over the current flag and seal, which depicts a Native American riding off into the sunset while a white settler plows his field next to a rifle leaning on a nearby stump.
To many, the imagery is offensive, as it illustrates a Native American being driven off the land.
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