Why the Australian Aboriginal Flag?
The Aboriginal Flag was a recognition of a culture and race of people that the Australian government would like to forget.
Aboriginal people were always seen and not heard.
Their lands were forceably taken, ( Terra Nullis ) and they were nearly decimated as a race by disease brought by the invaders, outright murders and forced exile into the poorest land of the country.
The Flag was the symbol that stated, we are still here. See us, recognize us, respect us!There were several flags made and used but one made by a central Australian, Harold Thomas (an Aboriginal Artist) in 1971 gained the most favor.
It was accepted overtime by the Aboriginal people as a symbol of defiance and finally accepted by the Australian government as representing the Australian Aboriginal people in a 1995 proclamation.
The flag design was also claimed by a couple of pretenders and the court system sorted them out accepting Harold Thomas as the holder of the copyright.
The flag made its presence known at prominent official functions held by various Aboriginal groups.
Among these was the National Aborigines’ Day in Adelaide in 1971 and at the Australian Aboriginal Tent Embassy on the lawn of the old parliament house in Canberra from the end of 1972.Its world debut came when Cathy Freeman having won the 200 meters sprint wrapped herself with it and ran a victory lap at the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
This of course caused a controversy but after winning yet another race the 400 meters she again did her victory lap with not only the Australian Aboriginal flag but the national flag of Australia as well.
Today it is flown freely from many public buildings in recognition of the struggle of the Australian Aboriginal people.
The flag is black on the top half to represent the Aboriginal people. Red on the bottom half to represent the mother earth and in the center there is a yellow solid circle representing the birth of a new day, new beginning.
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