The Flag of Bougainville (

Tok Pisin Tok Pisin (,Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh ; Tok Pisin ), often referred to by English speakers as "New Guinea Pidgin" or simply Pidgin, is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea. It is an ...

: ''plak bilong Bogenvil'') is a symbol of the

Autonomous Region of Bougainville Bougainville ( ; ; Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil''), officially the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (Tok Pisin: ''Otonomos Region bilong Bogenvil''), is an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea. The largest island is Bougainville Island, while the re ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. It was originally adopted in 1975 by the secessionist

Republic of the North Solomons A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

Design and symbolism

According to the ''Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018'', the flag consists of "a depiction of an ''

upe The upe (or upi) is a traditional headdress worn by men in parts of Bougainville (an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea) to symbolise their transition to adulthood. The term is also used to refer to the process of undergoing the transition an ...

'' superimposed over concentric discs of black and white on a

cobalt blue Cobalt blue is a blue pigment made by sintering cobalt(II) oxide with aluminum(III) oxide (alumina) at 1200 °C. Chemically, cobalt blue pigment is cobalt(II) oxide-aluminium oxide, or cobalt(II) aluminate, CoAl2O4. Cobalt blue is lighter ...

field". The ''upe'' is a traditional headdress worn by Bougainvillean men as a symbol of adulthood. The black disc "represents the distinctive skin colour of the Bougainvillean people", while the white disc represents the ''kapkap'', a traditional symbol of authority made from

mother of pearl Nacre ( , ), also known as mother of pearl, is an organicinorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer; it is also the material of which pearls are composed. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. Nacre is ...

. The 24 green equilateral triangles within the ''kapkap'' symbolise "the importance of land to the Bougainvillean people", the blue field represents the ocean. The official flag aspect ratio is 2:3.

History

The flag was designed by Johnathan and Moses Havini. It was first raised at Arawa on 1 September 1975, during the independence celebrations for the unrecognised

Republic of North Solomons A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

. It was chosen in a nationwide competition held over many months in 1975. The selection panel appointed by the Bougainville Provincial Assembly included Fr. John Momis M.H.A, Regional Member for Bougainville (PNG Parliament), Mr. Peter Sissiou, President of the Arawa Town Council and Mr. Leo Hannett, Planner, Bougainville Provincial Government. As a symbol of secession, the flag was initially proscribed by the PNG government. In January 1976, a primary school on Buka Island was shut down for flying the flag. However, the flag was retained by the North Solomons Province following the reintegration of the republic into PNG in 1976. The ''Provincial Symbols Act 1978'' gave official status to the flag and made it an offence to use it for a commercial purpose without the consent of the responsible minister. Later, the

Autonomous Bougainville Government The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG; tpi, Otonomos Bogenvil Gavman) is the government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Structure The Constitution of Bougainville specifies that the Autonomous Bougainville Gove ...

's ''Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018'' reaffirmed the official status of the flag. It also created a new offence of using, displaying, destroying or damaging the flag with the intention of dishonouring it, with a maximum fine of 10,000 kina, and extended the fine for unauthorised commercial use to a maximum of 100,000 kina for corporations.

References

Flags of Oceania Bougainville {{PapuaNewGuinea-stub

Design and symbolism

History

See also

References