The Controversial Legacy Of The Minnesota State Flag

Perhaps the Minnesota state flag doesn't look like something that would be controversial at first glance. In the center of a blue field, the state emblem is framed by a border of yellow circles and five clusters of four stars set equally apart. The state name is written out in red bold letters at the

Perhaps the Minnesota state flag doesn't look like something that would be controversial at first glance. In the center of a blue field, the state emblem is framed by a border of yellow circles and five clusters of four stars set equally apart. The state name is written out in red bold letters at the bottom of the emblem, in between two of the star clusters. Nothing controversial so far, right?

Within the yellow circles, the emblem itself shows a farmer's field on the left, next to a body of water on the right (via the Associated Press). A farmer appears to be working the rows with a plow, his gun, and an ax set on a tree stump to his left. The farmer seems to be looking upward at a person in the distance that's riding a horse at the edge of the field. The rider looks distinctly like how some might depict a Native American. Atop a black horse, the shirtless rider is donning a headdress and carrying a long spear in the left hand. Above the rider are the words "Letoile du Nord," a French phrase that translates to "The Star of the North" (via the Minnesota Secretary of State). This has served as the official state motto since 1861. CBS reports that earlier in 2023, the state legislature was considering using a 16-member commission to redesign the flag and present it to the elected body. The reasons for this proposal range from potentially offensive imagery of the current flag to its failure to pass good design standards.

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