oklahoma State Symbols

The central figures and wreath are from the Great Seal of the Territory of Oklahoma.

In each of the five rays of the main star in the Great Seal of the state is the official seal of one of the Five Civilized Indian Nations that together comprised most of the area of present eastern Oklahoma. The upward ray depicts the seal of the Chickasaw Nation with an Indian warrior holding a bow and shield. In the upper left-hand ray is the seven-pointed star bearing a wreath of oak leaves, which comprises the seal of the Cherokee Nation. The emblem of the Choctaw Nation is in the upper right-hand ray and is composed of a tomahawk, a bow, and three crossed arrows. In the lower left-hand ray is the seal of the Creek Nation, depicted by a sheaf of wheat and a plow. The lower right-hand ray shows houses, and a factory on the shore of a lake, on which is an Indian hunter paddling a canoe and this comprises the seal of the Seminole Nation.

Forty-five small stars surround the central star and these represent the forty-five states that made up the Union at the time Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.

The Oklahoma State Flag honors more than 60 groups of Native Americans and their ancestors.

The blue field comes from a flag carried by Choctaw soldiers during the civil war. The center shield is the battle shield of an Osage warrior. It is made of buffalo hide and decorated with eagle feathers.

Two symbols of peace lie across the shield. One is the calumet, or peace pipe. The other is an olive branch. Crosses on the shield are Native American signs for stars, representing high ideals.