A state panel says Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right.

Minnesota’s new state flag should feature an eight-pointed North Star against a dark blue background shaped like the state, with a solid light blue field at the right, a special commission decided Tuesday as it picked a replacement for an older design that many Native Americans considered offensive.

The State Emblems Redesign Commission chose the final version on an 11-1 vote after finalizing a new state seal that depicts a loon, the state bird. Unless the Legislature rejects them, the new flag and seal will automatically become official April 1, 2024, when Minnesota observes Statehood Day.

The star echoes Minnesota’s state motto of “Star of the North.” The commission’s chairman, Luis Fitch, said that to him, the light blue represents the Mississippi River, “the most important river in the United States,” pointing to the North Star. But he acknowledged it could mean other things to other people. Symmetry and simplicity won out over other versions, including ones that included a green stripe for the state’s agricultural heritage.

      • postmateDumbass@lemmy.world
        61·
        11 months ago

        i went to elementry school on a reservation, indian reservation was the parlance of the time. Kinda stuck with me.

          • MonkRome@lemmy.worldEnglish
            101·
            11 months ago

            I don’t know where “around these parts” is for you but I’ve heard plenty of people refer to themselves as indian or American Indian instead of Native American in my lifetime. Really many people would prefer you use their actual tribe name over either one, but it’s most often white people getting bent out of shape over using “indian” in my experience.

      • TopRamenBinLaden@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        2·
        11 months ago

        Many Native American people prefer the term “American Indians”, to be fair. There is a bit of a split on which one is preferrable depending on who you ask. It varies from tribe to tribe, region to region, and with age differences.

        Most Native people would just prefer to be called by their tribal affiliation over either of the terms, but accept them as our collective terms for them. Many don’t care which one you use because it’s wrong either way, really.

        This is just from my experience talking with some people from different tribes in my area, and from seeing the question posted on forums before.