Mi'kmaq flag

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Mikmaq State Flag (vertical).svg
Mikmaq State Flag.svg
The Mi'kmaq flag is displayed horizontally or vertically.

The Mi'kmaq flag is the flag of the Mi'kmaq people.

Contents

Description and symbolism

The Mi'kmaq flag consists of four main elements: [1] [2]

The flag is commonly referred to as simply the Mi'kmaq flag. [3] The flag may also be referred to as the Santé Mawiómi flag, the Grand Council flag, [1] or the Mi'kmaq National flag. [2]

According to some sources, the flag is meant to be hung vertically, but it is commonly hung horizontally with the star aligned to the upper-left corner. [4]

History

The Mi'kmaq flag was raised for the first time on 4 October 1900 in Restigouche, Quebec. It was raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the first time in 1901. [3] [2]

The flag was traditionally flown during meetings of the Grand Council. It is now flown regularly, particularly on Treaty Day and other events which commemorate the Mi'kmaq people. [4] The flag is often flown across Nova Scotia in honour of Mi'kmaq History Month in October. [5]

In 2017, Acadia University began flying the Mi'kmaq flag above their University Hall, where it is a permanent fixture alongside the flags of Canada, Nova Scotia, and the university. [6] The flag was similarly raised at Saint Mary's University the following year. [7] The Mi'kmaq flag was permanently raised at Moncton City Hall in New Brunswick in 2019, [8] [9] followed by the town hall of Kensington, Prince Edward Island in 2021. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Míkmaq State flag". Various Mi'kmaq flags and their meanings. Benoit First Nation. 29 May 2001. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Aboriginal Cultural Connections: A Child Protection Resource Guide". Government of Prince Edward Island. p. 112. Retrieved 27 November 2025 via the Internet Archive.
  3. 1 2 "Mi'kmaw Timeline". Mi'kmaq Resource Guide. Sydney, N.S.: Cape Breton University. 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  4. 1 2 "The Mi'kmaq Grand Council Flag" (PDF). Guidelines for Flying and Displaying the Provincial Flag and other Flags in the Province of Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown: Government of Prince Edward Island. December 2023. p. 3. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  5. Bradley, Susan (15 October 2017). "Mi'kmaq Grand Council flag symbol of change, acceptance for Indigenous Nova Scotians". CBC News . Nova Scotia: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  6. "Grand Council Flag of the Mi'kmaq Nation to fly permanently above University Hall". Wolfville, N.S.: Acadia University. 4 October 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  7. "Mi'kmaq Grand Council flag permanently installed at Saint Mary's". Halifax, N.S.: Saint Mary's University. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  8. Fraser, Elizabeth (21 June 2019). "Moncton to see Mi'kmaq flag fly permanently outside City Hall". CBC News . New Brunswick: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  9. Brown, Silas (21 June 2019). "Mi'kmaq flag to fly permanently outside Moncton city hall". Global News . Retrieved 27 November 2025.
  10. Reid, Kyle (10 October 2021). "Kensington raises Mi'kmaq flag permanently outside town hall". PNI Atlantic News . Kensington, P.E.I.: Postmedia Network . Retrieved 27 November 2025.