Last modified: 2005-06-03 by phil nelson
Keywords: kawawachikamach | quebec | sun | moon | spear | geese | wigwam | caribou |
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According to a letter I received from the band secretary, a flag was
designed in school by the late Steven Mameanskum. It attempted to provide the
Naskapi Band with a unique flag that identified it as the last of the nomadic
Indian groups in the Québec-Labrador peninsula. The flag per se has not been
adopted officially as the Naskapi Band flag. This flag is used only inside the
Naskapi community, although some have been given to Canadian and Québec
government representatives and other interest groups. The first image I have
seen of the flag dates from the 1990s. The crosses in each corner represent
the religious aspect of the Naskapis. The black outline frame isolates the
close-knit Naskapis from the outside world. The different colors represent the
Naskapi taste in pattern design. The Cree syllabary is used to spell out
"The Naskapis" (ᓇᔅᑲᐱ). The green boundary is
the sign of earth life, indicating that the Naskapis live with nature. The red
boundary indicates that the Naskapis are relatives, thus red blood. The
circles represent the suns and the moons of each season. The spear located in
the North represents the fact that the Naskapis lived with the spear-throwing
Inuit before they moved to Shefferville. The fish are located in the South,
where the Naskapis import, through other tribes, special fish from the North
Shore. The wigwam is located in the East, where the Naskapis originally came
from. The caribou located in the West, where they migrate to way fall, a time
of celebration for the Naskapis. The caribou tracks move from East to West in
a continuous cycle, being an important aspect of the Naskapis. The geese fly
North to South, a time of celebration for the Naskapis. Kawawachikamach may be
written at the top or bottom, at right or left.
Luc Baronian, 19 May 2005