UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part IX

The speaker for the ninth presentation was Dr. Vladimir Liscak of the Czech Republic. Dr. Vladimir is the head of the Department of East Asian Studies at the Oriental Institute of the Academy of Sciences and a member of the Czech Vexillological Society. His paper was entitled Early flags of China: Designs and Symbolism.

Dr. Valdimir gave us a short history of flags in China. Apparently China can lay claim to the oldest flags that used textiles. The various wars in ancient China required an effective use of flags on the battle field. The oldest flag poles in China almost always had a trident on top.


Although the US Flag Code may be the most popular reference in flag protocol, China may have the oldest flag code in text called the Rites of Zhou, which give strict flag guidelines and usage. The only contender to have an older book is Ancient Egypt, if only a flag protocol scroll is ever discovered.

Like in the west with heraldry flags were a phenomena primarily used by the high nobility.




You can visit the Czech Vexillological Society Here

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part VIII

The Flag of the Incas, by Gustav Tracchia first Vice President of NAVA was the eighth presentation. This talk centered on the genesis of the rainbow flags of South America and their associated connection with Native Culture.

Like a splendid story teller Gus started the presentation with a background history of the Inca Empire. First he made a distinction in the common misuse of the word Inca. Inca is not the real name of the Empire, Inca actually refers to the title for the leader of the people.

Imagine if in 4000 years a technologically advanced civilization lands in the United States and people from the future refer to the USA as the President of Democracy. It would sound a little funny to us now. A teacher would say, "Less than 60 years after the Present of Democracy built the first airplane the Presidents broke the sound barrier."

Rainbow Flag of Cuzco
A more accurate name is Tawantinsuyu which can be translated as the Four United States or Four United Provinces (F.U.S. or F.U.P.). Anyways this Empire of Four States was united literally by string, called keepu. They didn't have a written language but an amazing system of string knots to keep track of social business.

Essentially the rainbow flag is based upon foggy memories of Spanish record keepers. Much of Inca civilization was condemned and oppressed when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived. It was only after wards that a primitive anthropological survey of the Native Culture was done by Spanish Priests. In this process in an interview with a Native South American it was recorded that the 'Celestial Arch' was an important symbol for the Inca (Tawantisuyu).

Wiphala Flag of Bolivia
Since the Tawantisuyu Empire once stood in Peru and Bolivia they have used a priest's testimonial as the source and inspiration for several rainbow flags. However there apparently was no drawing or further description of this assumed rainbow flag or vexilloid. In Bolivia a flag called the Wiphala has become a symbol of the nation. Also in the nation of Peru, the city Cuzco uses a rainbow flag.




You Can Visit NAVA Here (North American Vexillological Association)

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part VII

The seventh eagerly awaited presentation was given by Lt. Colonel Steve Turpin. Turpin's presentation was entitled National Flags at NATO Headquarters. On NATO's 60th anniversary (1949-2009) Turpin was responsible for flag raising ceremonies at the Supreme Allied Command Transformation, SACT.

Interestingly Turpin is the first non-American to raise the US Flag on the 4th of July at an official US government function. Usually this honor is preformed by a US citizen. Lt. Colonel Turpin also officially raised the French Tri-Colour on Bastille Day.

At any NATO base there is an interesting interplay of politics of how flags should be flown. Like family members at a table, before a set policy was made it was (and sometimes still is) a rather confusing and touchy subject. As of now, the various national flags are rotated to a new position every Sunday. Flags are flown in the alphabetical order according to whichever nation they are in, unless the nation has more than two languages like Belgium, where they officially speak a Dutch and French. Apparently nations with NATO facilities have some discretion on how to fly the flags. But they should follow one rule, they must rotated every Sunday.

The Order of Flying National Flags
at NATO Operations can be rather
sensitive & confusing subject
Another interesting fact is that international flag etiquette is largely based on the US Flag Code, no other nation has such a developed sense of flag protocol. Often times nations will simply follow the guidelines and suggestions detailed in the US Flag Code.

Spanish Flag
with Mourning Cravat

An issue at the moment with NATO Flag etiquette is when nations desire to fly their banner at half staff: what should the other flags do? Often, other nations will also lower they banner out of respect. As had recently happened when the Polish President Kaczynski died in plane crash last month. There are also certain days when this must be done, so it can cause a rather unusual display of flags. One solution suggested is that a black mourning cravat (which is basically a black ribbon) be tied to the flag instead of lowering it.

Of things Yin and Yang, NATO's inclusion of West Germany in 1955 spurred the formation of WARSAW PACT. Coincidentally WARSAW PACT first took military action not against NATO but with its own member, a country that no longer exists: Czechoslovakia in 1968. While NATO's first military action took place with another nation that also no longer exists: Yugoslavia in 1999.

Ironically NATO was not waging war against leftists and Communism, rather NATO took military action against right wing Yugoslavians, mostly in defense of Muslims. But since 2001 NATO has been engaged in military action in Central Asia against right wing Muslims. Perhaps Afghanistan will follow the same fate of Yugoslavia, no longer existing by dividing into several smaller states?

The NATO symbol coincidentally looks like a cross

You Can Visit NATO's Official Site Here

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part VI

MP Andrew Rosindell
We were all excited to hear from the sixth speaker: a Member of Parliament, Andrew Rosindell who represents Romford which is on the North Eastern edge of Greater London.

MP Rosindell is serving his second term as an MP running with the conservative party. In parliament he founded the All Party Parliamentary Flag Group. This group's stated manifesto is to "promote the flying of the Union Flag and all flags associated with the UK and British Territories, and related matters."

I was excited to meet my first Tory and a member of parliament at that. Rosindell's presentation was entitled Ongoing Flag Campaigns.


Because I had lived in Japan for three years as an English Teacher, I rubbed a lot of elbows with teachers from the UK. The majority, actually all, that I meet were often liberal minded let's touch the world and be vegetarian people. Additionally the Aussies, Kiwis, Americans, and Canadians loved to wave their flag and wear it on their clothing. However I never ran into a Brit in Japan who had such a desire.


Apparently the people of Scotland and Wales fly their flag with pride and abundance when compared to England or the Union Flag. One of Rosindell's primary 'Flag Campaigns' is to get a Union Flag flying in all schools across England. I agree with Rosindell especially for public schools that receive benefit from the federal government.

There was something of a struggle to get the UK Union flag to fly permanently over Parliament. Rosindell informed me after his lecture, until quite recently the Union Flag was flown over Parliament only when it was in session.

Today they always fly the Union Flag over Parliament, but it has lost it's communicative purpose: to denote that the lawmakers are in session.






Since the UK flag always flies over Parliament here is a proposal for a 'Parliament is in Session Flag'. The charge on the fly is Coat of Arms of Simon De Montfort who called for the first elected Parliament in 1265 AD. Behind the arms, is a knights of the round table based upon the design at Winchester, that had 25 slots for 24 knights and one for the Lord or Sovereign.

You Can Visit MP Andrew Rosindells Official Site Here

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part V

The fifth speaker at the meeting was the highly anticipated and distinguished Abdullah al Andalusi. He was originally born in the Church of England but later converted to Islam and has become something of a spokesperson for the British-Islamic view of
things.



Abdullah's lecture was entitled The Union Flag: a Muslim Perspective, of the British Flag. The talk started off with a spiritual charge as Andalusi began the presentation with an Islamic Invocation asking for the blessings of God the most merciful. He then went on to give us a general picture of how the Islamic World views the British Flag. He pointed out that the crosses are symbols of Christianity, but in the modern world the religious undertone of the British Flag is hardly noticed or a non issue. No part of the British Islamic community feels threatened or misrepresented by the British Flag. According to Andalusi the UK Union Flag represents the UK and not necessarily the faith of Christ.

Somebody addressed the issue of flags as being idols. Andalusi took the issue that God had made us distinct from one another so we could recognize each other, and he did so by quoting scripture from the Bible. I could infer that Anadlusi accepted that flags are there for a reason, but there is danger that they can be misused as idols.

Andalusi later said that flags in the Islamic World were historically used as battle flags so fighters and commanders knew who was fighting who. Although we often think of Islamic nations clashing with Christian nations, for much of history there has been Christian on Christian infighting as there was Islamic on Islamic in fighting. Just recently one of the most deadly conflicts of the post WWII era took place between Iraq and Iran, yet both nations are seriously dedicated to the teachings of the Koran.


An interesting point Andalusi clarified for me was the Shahadah flag, that has Arabic Calligraphy on it and uses the colours black and white. A black flag in Islam represents a war flag. Black is chosen because it represents mourning since war is a very sad event. However the white flag in Islam represents peace.

Andalusi also made a sincere appeal that Islam has a humanitarian perspective, and several times he iterated that since we are all the children of Adam and Eve we are simpl y one family of brothers and sisters under the house of Alla h, (or rather God).

Watch Adbullah al Andalusi interviews on by British Press on UK TV: Andalusi

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part IV

Flag of Wiltshire
Adopted December 1, 2009
The fourth speaker was Mike Prior a native son and longtime resident of Wiltshire. Prior is the key vexillologist responsible for the current Wiltshire County flag.

Wiltshire is due west of London, land locked in the heart of England. Wiltshire's most famous landmark known across the world is Stonehenge.

Wiltshire Coat of Arms
the basis of the flag

Prior to Prior's desire for Wiltshire flag Wiltshire County had no flag.

At the 2010 UK, Flag Institute Spring Meeting, Prior gave an fascinating lecture upon the long drawn out process of creating the Wiltshire flag. It all started five years ago during the Tony Blair administration.

Prior went through a cumbersome and heavily bureaucratic process to fly his own personal Wiltshire flag in his garden. During a holiday trip to Devon, the seed of the Wiltshire flag was planted in his head and sprouted Christmas 2005.

Mike Prior soon discovered that there was no official Wiltshire County flag, except for a city council flag, that was for city council use only. Subsequently he was inspired to create a Wiltshire Flag.

Great Bustard sings happily
in front of Wiltshire Flag
The architects of the flag were himself and his graphic designer-daughter, Helen. Helen's idea was to include the roundel of six partitions of green and white. Mike was responsible for the green and white bars in the back ground.

The local community office of Wiltshire charged a whopping 195 pounds (over 250 US Dollars) to process the form for flying a personal flag on private property. The town then sent out fliers and notices to neighbors that he was going to fly the flag on his property. Eventually the buzz caught the attention of the local paper, and soon enough, he was getting calls for the purchase of this yet unapproved, personally designed flag for private use.

Mike Prior on the right holding
the Official Wiltshire County Flag
Long story short Prior's desire for a personal flag ended up on national news and soon enough the local MPs got involved and orders around the world for the flag of Wiltshire were abound.

The bird on the flag of Wiltshire is the Great Bustard. This gargantuan native bird to Britain was hunted out of existence in the 1800s. In 2009 a breeding program was celebrating the successful birth of three chicks. Which coincidentally occurred on the second anniversary of the first official flag raising ceremony of the Wiltshire Flag at the county seat in Towbridge.

Although Mike Prior originally intended this banner for his own personal use to fly privately over his garden, the great fates decided otherwise. Back in 2005 little did he know that he was actually dreaming of a flag that was destined to represent half a million people and one of the world's most famous counties renowned for Neolithic architecture: Stonehenge.

If you would like to hear more or purchase an official Wiltshire Flag you can contact Mike Prior at www.wiltshireflag.co.uk.

Wiltshire's most famous landmark flying the Wiltshire County Flag

Visit His Website Here: Mike Prior

UK Flag Institute Spring Meeting 2010: Part III

The third speaker on the London 2010 Spring Meeting was Alexandru Dan Mandru from Romania. His tone was serious and academic. It became obvious Alexandru could offer a deep and wide range professional and philosophical views on the emerging science of vexillology.

He gave his first vexillological presentation at the 2007 International Congress of Vexillology in Berlin, Germany. Since then he as been studying philosophy and communications at the Free University in Berlin.

His lecture was entitled The Science of Vexillology. Alexandru started his lecture with a formal history and introspective discussion of vexillology, "since 1958, when Dr. Whitney Smith introduced the term vexillology and it became part of the human heritage, a certain obscurity has surrounded the limits of the words. Who is a vexillologist? Is he or she a collector and hobbyist? Or may he or she be scholar in this field?" Mandru said. Mandru continued, "We will try to find essential criteria, in order to properly define a science as a science and apply them to Vexillology."

One idea expounded by Mandru that stuck out in my mind or rather caused a cerebral communications explosion of neurotransmitters (it resonated with me) was Mandru pointed out that, 'Whitney Smith stated that the ultimate purpose of vexillology would be a better understanding among people,' as quoted from the Flag Bulletin# 191, page 4. With this statement Mandru further explained that, "Consequently, vexillology serves life because, in its final meaning and purpose, has an improvement of human relations and identity as goal." I interpreted this as basically saying vexillology can bring a greater peace, harmony, and understanding in the world.

With my flag symmetry idea, it is also my hope that a new understanding between nations and peoples can sew an amazing thread of connectivity and understanding between nations. As odd as it may sound, to study the flag and story of an alien nation is also to study the flag and story of ones own nation.

Mandru's final thoughts on vexillology were essentially a forecast on the future of this 'social science' that may or may not promote understanding between nations. Vexillology is sort of in the 'hunter-gatherer' phase and it is now growing into the 'meta-vexillological' phase. Like any 'ology' will grow with time.

You can read more about by clicking here: Alexandru Mandru