The Oklahoma flag was designed by Louise Funk Fluke (after consultation with the Oklahoma Historical Society's director of Native American artefacts), won a competition and was officially adopted on 2nd of April in 1925. The Oklahoma state flag honours more than 60 groups of Native Americans and their ancestors. The blue bunting goes back to a flag worn by Confederate Choctaw soldiers during the Civil War. Blue symbolises loyalty and fidelity. The shield in the centre, a symbol of protection, is an Osage warrior's battle shield made of buffalo hide and decorated with eagle feathers. Two peace symbols are placed crosswise on the shield: a calumet (peace pipe) and an olive branch. Brown crosses are placed on the shield; they are Native American symbols for the stars and stand for high ideals. On 9th of May in 1941, the name of the state was added to the previous design. A statet flag had already been introduced on 2nd of March in 1911. It was single coloured red and had a blue-bordered, five-pointed white star with the number "46" in the centre. The number is a reminder that Oklahoma was the 46th state to join the USA on 16th of November in 1907. Because the red flag with the star evoked associations with communism, a design competition for a new flag was held in 1924, which led to the winning design by Louise Funk Fluke and the current flag. Oklahoma was founded in 1834 as an Indian Territory for the "five civilised nations" of the Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw, among others, and was therefore not a state and had no government of its own. The "five civilised nations" became allies of the Confederate States of America (CSA). They fought under a variant of the CSA national flag used between 1861 and 1863, with five red stars in the upper corner and the words "Cherokee Braves" in the waving part. The five red stars stood for the five civilised tribes, the large star in the middle for the CSA Cherokee.
The today's blue flag has remained basically unchanged over the years, except for the addition of "Oklahoma" in 1941. However, if the sources are to be trusted, a lighter shade of blue seems to have been used for the bunting from 1941, which came close to today's Pantone 7460 C. That seems to have been revised again in 1988, to the more dark Pantone 307 C. Around 2006, it was realised that the appearance of the flag had never been precisely defined, even in the image details. On basis of extensive research, the original appearance of the flag was restored and all the deviations that had been made over the years and were reproduced again and again were reversed: the colour of the crosses, which at some point were white, the feathers, which were only reproduced in one colour and stylised, or even coloured fruit, which at some point appeared on the olive branch. After the reconstruction, the description was written down exactly and the blue colour of the bunting was also defined, which now seems to be Pantone 307 C.
about 7000 B.C. · Settlement by Indians (Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche, Wichita, Osage, Kaw, Pani, Ponce)
1542 · the Spanish explorer Coronado reaches the area
1720 · a French expedidion of the Mallet brothers reaches the area, but no French colonization, however, the land belongs to the French colony of Louisiana
1803 · France sells Louisiana to the United States
26th of March 1804 · the area is part of the Louisiana Territory
7th of December 1812 · the area is part of the Missouri Territory
2nd of March 1819 · all the land south of 36.5° N is part of the Arkansas Territory
1817–1830 · 50.000 from the eastern United States displaced Indian tribes of the Creek, Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw ("Five Civilized Nations") become settled in today's Oklahoma, specifically in 1830 by the "Indian Removal Act"
30th of June 1834 · founding of the Indian Territory, all nine tribes in the country will receive sovereign rights and well-defined areas (as distinct nations with their own constitution, which is similar to that of federal states of the USA), the USA station troops only at Fort Gibson, Europeans (whites) is prohibited by law to enter the territory
25th of November 1850 · Texas cedes the "Public Land Strip" (also known as: Oklahoma Panhandle, Beaver County, No Man's Land or Territory of Cimarron) to the Government of the United States
1860 · Texas claimes Greer County (in the southwest of the country)
16th of March 1861 · the Confederate States of America (CSA), set up the Bureau for Indian Affairs, to negotiate with the Five Civilized Nations: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminoles
October 1861 to June 1865 · the Five Civilized Nations are allied with the CSA, in the Indian territory operate – almost on the side of their allied Indian nations – Confederate troops from Texas, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana
23rd of May in 1865 · the last Confederate General, Brigadier General Degataga Oo-Watee (English "Stand Watie"), a Cherokee Indian – commander of a brigade of Indian, Confederate soldiers – signes up an armistice, and not(!) an act of surrender
14th of July in 1865 · the Indian Confederate Caddo Battalion surrenders and is in this way actually the last Confederate unit on land that formally capitulated
1866 · "reconstruction", forced return of the Five Civilized Nations in the USA
1879 · start of the illegal settlement by whites ("Boomers" or "Sooners")
1880 · the government of the USA prohibits again the settlement country, the illegal occupation continues
1889 · Creeks and Seminoles cede land for the settlers
2nd of May 1890 · foundation of the Oklahoma Territory by merger of Indian Territory and "Public Land Strip" (Oklahoma Panhandle – the three today's counties: Cimarron County, Texas County, and Beaver County)
1896 · Texas renounces his claim to Greer County
4th of March 1906 · the sovereign rights of the Indians become abolished
16th of November 1907 · Oklahoma becomes the 46th state of the USA
The word "Oklahoma" comes from the language of the Choctaw Indians. It had been proposed around 1830 by a Choctaw chief for the settlement by displaced Indians allotted land near the Red River; "okla" means man, "humma" is red. Hence the name of the country: "Red Man", or "Land of the Red Man."
