Why Michigan’s State Flag is so bad, it’s Good
Have you ever taken a good look at the Michigan state flag?
No, I don’t mean the green and white flag emblazoned with a helmet-wearing Spartan. I mean the official flag of The State of Michigan.
Honestly, I’d never given the Michigan state flag more than a passing glance until a few weeks ago. I read an article that called our flag, “One of the baddest in the nation.” Bad in a good way. You know, like how Michael Jackson says it. I was intrigued and decided to look into why Michigan’s flag was so special.
It turns out our flag has a whole lot going on.
First, there’s the field of blue, symbolic of the four Great Lakes that surround our state. Not to mention all the other inland lakes, river and streams. You’re never more than six miles away from a body of water in Michigan.
On the field of blue is the state seal. There are no less than three Latin mottos on the seal.
- E pluribus unum, “Out of many, one,” the United States’ motto, is written on the red ribbon at the top.
- It says Tuebor on the light blue shield, which means, “I will defend.”
- At the bottom, on the white ribbon, are written the words Si Quæris Peninsulam Amœnam Circumspice. That translates to, “If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you,” the official state motto. It, of course, refers to the fact that, geographically, Michigan it made up of two large peninsulas. Pleasant they are, indeed! I’ve always thought the state motto summed up Michigan beautifully.
What really puts Michigan’s flag over the top are the symbols used on it.
On that light blue shield is a frontiersman, which harkens back to our history as a wilderness territory, first visited by hunters and trappers. He’s standing on a peninsula, watching the sunrise over a lake. (If you’ve ever been to Michigan, you know all about the spectacular sunrises and sunsets over the Big Lakes.) The man has his right hand raised, which represents peace, and he’s holding a long gun in the other hand. Essentially, it’s saying we’re a peaceful people, but if you mess with us, we won’t hesitate to defend ourselves. And you thought Texas was the only state you shouldn’t mess with.
That’s a lot of symbolism in one little picture. But the shield is really just a picture within a picture, because the shield is being up by a big elk and huge moose, while a bald eagle flies over head.
Whoa!
See?
So bad, it’s good.
The eagle represents the United States of America and all the patriotic feelings we have about this great land. When the flag and state seal were first designed in the early 1800s, elk and moose roamed all over Michigan. Besides the bear, they were the largest, most powerful wildlife living on our peninsulas. Populations have since declined. The DNR and conservationists are working to make our elk and moose herds healthy again, because they are an important part of our history and ecosystem.
We Michiganders have a fierce love for our amazing state exactly for all the reasons represented on our flag. If you’re a Michigander, maybe it’s time to pick up your own state flag and fly it proudly. You know, show those neighbors from Ohio why we’re so bad, we’re good!
