The flag of
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
, while unofficial, is used to represent Labrador, the continental region with adjacent islands of the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
as distinct from the
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
region of the province. It was created by a small group led by
Michael S. Martin, who was then the representative for Labrador South in the provincial legislature. The flag has been influential in Labrador; its colours are mirrored in the
flag of Nunatsiavut
The flag of Nunatsiavut is the flag adopted by the Labrador Inuit Association to represent the Inuit of Labrador and their Land Claims Settlement Area called Nunatsiavut. The flag features the traditional Inuit inuksuk coloured white, blue, an ...
, and its black (bog) spruce twig was adopted for use on the
Franco-Terreneuvien flag. The black spruce, a member of the pine family, is the most numerous tree in Labrador and in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The black spruce is the official tree of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and thus serves as a reminder that Labrador is part of that larger entity.
Impetus
In 1973, the government of Newfoundland asked the citizens of the province to adopt special projects to commemorate the event of the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland's 1949
confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
with Canada. Michael S. Martin, the Member of the House of Assembly for the district of Labrador South took this as an opportunity to do something significant to celebrate Labrador's heritage as part of Newfoundland. The entire province of Newfoundland was without its own identity when it came to a flag, as the
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
, the flag of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, had been designated by the provincial cabinet as the flag of the province of Newfoundland in 1952. Martin and several others decided that their project to celebrate would be the creation of a flag for Labrador to give at least that part of Newfoundland an outward symbol of identity. Martin et al. also created it as an act of political mischief aimed at Premier
Joey Smallwood
Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...
and his Liberal government's perceived indifference to
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
.
Design
The flag itself is 2:1 in its proportions and composed of three
fess
In heraldry, a fess or fesse (from Middle English ''fesse'', from Old French ''faisse'', from Latin ''fascia'', "band") is a charge on a coat of arms (or flag) that takes the form of a band running horizontally across the centre of the shield.Wo ...
es. From the top they are white, green (
Pantone
Pantone LLC (stylized as PANTONE) is a limited liability company headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey. The company is best known for its Pantone Matching System (PMS), a proprietary color space used in a variety of industries, notably graphic ...
Green 356) and blue (Pantone Blue 306), in a proportion of 2:1:2. In the left of the white field is a stylized representation of a sprig of the
black spruce
''Picea mariana'', the black spruce, is a North American species of spruce tree in the pine family. It is widespread across Canada, found in all 10 provinces and all 3 territories. It is the official tree of the province of Newfoundland and Labra ...
, the most common tree in Labrador and the province. It is the official tree of the whole province and thus serves as a reminder that Labrador is part of what is now the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The twig has two year-growths, the first growth shorter than the second growth, and both have three branches (including the centre branch), each of approximately equal length.
Symbolism
The top white bar represents the snow which colours the culture and lifestyle of Labradorians like no other element. The bottom blue bar represents the waters of Labrador which serve as the highway and sustainer of the people of Labrador. The centre green bar represents the nurturing land. It is thinner than the other two, as the northern climes of Labrador have short summers.
The twig is in two year-growths to represent the past and future of Labrador. The shorter growth of the inner twigs represents the hardships of the past, while the outer twigs are longer as a representation of the hope Labradorians have for the future. The three branches represent the three founding nations of Labrador; the
Innu
The Innu / Ilnu ("man", "person") or Innut / Innuat / Ilnuatsh ("people"), formerly called Montagnais from the French colonial period ( French for "mountain people", English pronunciation: ), are the Indigenous inhabitants of territory in the ...
, the
Inuit
Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...
, and the European settlers. The three branches emerging from a single stalk represents the unity of the distinct peoples in the brotherhood of all mankind, thus representing people of these and all backgrounds in Labrador. Since the black spruce, a member of the pine family of trees is the official tree of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador it also serves as a reminder that Labrador is part of that larger entity.
Presentation
Originally, 64 flags were manufactured, each sewn together by Martin's wife; one for each of the 59 towns and villages in Labrador, one for each of the other three Labrador members of the House of Assembly, and one each for Martin and his wife personally. The flags were sent out to the communities for display on March 31, 1974, the anniversary of Newfoundland joining confederation (the time was one second before midnight so as not to be on April 1). On April 1, the three flags intended for MHAs were presented to them in a public ceremony at the
Confederation Building, which houses the
Provincial Legislature, in
St. John's.
See also
*
Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador
The flag of Newfoundland and Labrador was introduced in 1980 and was designed by Newfoundland artist Christopher Pratt. The flag design was approved by the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly, House of Assembly of the province of Newfound ...
*
Newfoundland Tricolour
The Newfoundland Tricolour, or the Pink, White and Green, is an unofficial flag seen in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and is mistakenly believed to have been an official Flag of Newfoundland and Labrador, or more commonly, o ...
*
Flag of Nunatsiavut
The flag of Nunatsiavut is the flag adopted by the Labrador Inuit Association to represent the Inuit of Labrador and their Land Claims Settlement Area called Nunatsiavut. The flag features the traditional Inuit inuksuk coloured white, blue, an ...
References
External links
*
''Labrador Heritage'' description of the flag{{CanadaFlags
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
Provincial symbols of Newfoundland and Labrador
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...
Labrador
, nickname = "The Big Land"
, etymology =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Canada
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 ...