The Voice of Vexillology, Flags & Heraldry: New New Caledonia Flag & the Mapuche

Since July 20, 2010 a new New Caledonia Flag has been adopted

The image on the disc is a kind of 'totem
pole' placed on homes of native Kanaks

In between Australia and Hawaii is the lush and beautiful island of New Caledonia. Although it is much closer to Australia.

Caledonia is the old Roman name for Scotland, but very few people in New Caledonia are Scottish. Instead persons of the French ethnic make up a good percentage. The other dominate group are indigenous Melanesians. Melanesians are similar in looks to African and Aboriginal peoples of Australia with 'black' skin and curly hair. But Melanesians sometimes have blond hair when they are young.

Last July of 2010 New Caledonia adopted a second official flag. Thus at the moment New Caledonia has two official flags - the flag of France and the flag of the Kanak People. This flag was created in 1984 and was originally a rebel flag. It is a horizontal tri-bar with blue in up top, red in the middle, and green on the bottom. Off center to the left is a yellow disc with a native totem found on Kanak houses.

Flag of the Native Mapuche People
in South America, Chile and Argentina

On the other side of the Pacific in Chile and parts of Argentina another flag represents another indigenous group of people - the Mapuche. The Mapuche flag is also a tri-bar with similar colours of different shades or order. Another difference is that the central yellow disc is centered, but like Kanak of New Caledonia it is decorated with cultural totems. Finally on the top and bottom are two thin black strips with 12 white diamonds on each for a total of 24.

Just as Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492 the Mapuche were fighting against the Inca. The Mapuche held their ground against the Inca but had a more troublesome time with the Spanish and their successor states. The Mapuche remained nominally a free people until the Chilean Government came into power. Chile and Argentina settled these Native South Americans in a similar manner as did the US and Canada did in North America. Instead of reservations or reverses, the Mapuche were grounded to analogous 'reducciones.'

The Mapuche people make up more than 3% of Chilean people but are much less in political power. They have their own Mapuche Language, culture, and the old religious ways have survived to the modern day.

Which came first the Chicken or the Egg? I don't know but recent archeological and genetic evidence indicates that the chicken may have been brought over from Polynesia before the arrival of Columbus - maybe even from New Caledonia?

The flags of New Caledonia and the Mapuche South American connect two people from one end of the South Pacific to the other.

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