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With all the talk about flags these days, I thought it was appropriate to discuss a flag not in the media currently. I’m referring to the Louisiana Creole flag. Yes, there is one for those who didn’t know, and many people don’t. Also, many who do, don’t know what each of its symbols means. If you’ve ever viewed this flag and wondered what the significance of one of its elements means, continue to read. This article briefly will provide a general understanding of the Louisiana Creole flag.
Ever heard of Joseph Hilton Bergeron (1939 – living), better known as Pete Bergeron? This former navy man, salesperson, and bilingual director of French Programs at KRVS Radio is the founder of Le Cajun Music Awards and Festival and the voice of the radio show Bonjour Louisiane. He also is the designer of the Louisiana Creole flag. He designed the flag in 1987. His sister, Delores Kay Conque, handstitched it.
C.R.E.O.L.E. Inc. is a nonprofit Creole heritage preservation organization based in Lafayette, Louisiana that seeks to identify, preserve, and promote various aspects of Creole culture (e.g., art, architecture, customs, dance, food, language, literature, and music). It was founded by John Broussard, Marlene Broussard, W. Paul Cluse, Mary Alice Drake, Geneva Phillips, and Herbert Wiltz. In 1995, Mr. Bergeron’s design was adopted by C.R.E.O.L.E. Inc. as the official Louisiana Creole flag.
The Louisiana Creole flag is composed of four sections. Representing French heritage is a white fleur de lis on a blue background. The history of the fleur de lis is extensive and deserves a post of its own, which I’ve done in my Flower Power post that can be found on this blog. The post takes an in-depth look at the fleur de lis’ history and meaning. On the Louisiana Creole flag, the fleur de list is located in the upper left quadrant.
The Mali Republic National (Le Drapeau du Mali) flag is located in the lower left quadrant. This flag is composed of three colors (green, gold, and red) in three vertical stripes of equal size. The colors are pan-African (relating to all people of African birth or descent). The green represents the fertility of the land while the gold symbolizes mineral wealth and purity. The red represents the blood shed in obtaining independence from France.
In the upper right quadrant is the Senegal Republic National (Le Drapeau Sénégal) flag. This flag is also tricolor (green, yellow, red) of three equal-sized vertical stripes. A five-pointed green star is located in the center of the yellow stripe. The green band represents progress, hope, and Islam. The yellow stripe represents natural wealth, and the red stripe symbolizes determination and sacrifice. Finally, the star represents hope and unity.
The lower right quadrant is comprised of the Tower of Castile. It is a gold castle on a red background. The Tower of Castile symbolizes the Kingdom Castile (Reino de Castilla) which was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. The Tower of Castile’s placement on the Louisiana Creole flag depicts Spanish Colonial heritage.
But wait. There is a fifth element to this flag that often is overlooked. The four quadrants are separated by a white space. However, this isn’t unintentional, and it isn’t a blank space. It actually is a white cross that represents the Christian faith.
Now, you may have noticed that throughout this post I’ve referred to the flag as the Louisiana Creole flag and not the Creole flag. There is a reason. There is a National Creole Flag that was designed by Lisa LaCour Bellow. This flag has a white background with a teal print.
There also exists a Creole National Heritage flag created by frenchcreoles.com. Its design is a multicolor background with an oak tree in the center. The upper left corner is a beige/light brown while the lower left corner is dark brown. These colors represent racial colors. There are three diagonal stripes that divide the beige/light brown from the dark brown. The first diagonal stripes (from left to right) is red. The red stripe represents Native American/Indian heritage. The next stripe is white. This represents European Heritage. The final stripe is black, and it represents African heritage. The oak tree intersects the three stripes. The tree symbolizes integrity and strength. Sometimes, this flag is seen with a fleur de lis in the upper left on the light brown/beige background and a white star in the lower right on the dark brown background. One or both of these symbols may be present. They also may be inverted (the fleur de lis on the dark brown and the white star on the beige/light brown). I also so a version that displayed two white stars (one on the beige/light brown and the other on the dark brown). I’m uncertain where the different variations originate, but these may have been proposed designs that have been circulated. In any case, the fleur de lis represents French heritage, and the white star represents American heritage.
Other Creole flags may also exist. If you know of any or have any comments please list them below in the comment section. Also, feel free to let me know what you think about this post and offer suggestions on what topics you would like to see discussed on Creole Bayou. I welcome all input and consider all suggestions. Some topics take longer for me to generate the post, but they are in a working file for later publication. Be sure to visit Creole Bayou again. A new post is made each Wednesday.
