Métis flag


The Métis flag was first used by Métis resistance fighters in Rupert's Land before the 1816 Battle of Seven Oaks. According to only one contemporary account, the flag was a gift from Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield of the North West Company in 1814, but no other surviving accounts confirm this. Both the red and blue versions of the flag have been used to represent the political and military force of the Métis since that time.
The blue background flag has been accepted by the Métis National Council as the official flag of the Métis Nation.

Design and symbolism

The flag shows a white infinity symbol on a field of either blue or red. There are many interpretations of what the colours and symbol means.
The infinity symbol has two commonly referred to meanings: it represents the faith that the Métis culture shall live on forever, and the mixing of the European immigrants and the First Nations peoples with the two conjoined circles symbolizing the unity of two cultures. Another possible interpretation of the infinity symbol is that it relates to traditional Métis dances, such as the quadrille, in which dancers move in a figure-eight pattern. There might also be a connection to the ouroboros, a ancient symbol the depicts a serpent or dragon eating its own tail, represented either in a circle or figure eight, symbolizing renewal and rebirth.
There is debate about the historical interpretations of the colours of the Métis flags. Some claim that the red background represents the colours of the Hudson’s Bay Company and that the blue background represents the North West Company,. Others argue that the blue flag represents the francophone Métis and the red flag represents the anglophone Métis. Others argue that the blue and white combination are based on both the Flag of Scotland, and are also the traditional colours of Quebec. Others have said that the red flag is for Manitoba and the Northwest Territory Métis, and the blue is for the Saskatchewan Métis.
Another explanation for the colours of the flags is depending on how the flag is being used. Some argue that the red flag is the Métis Hunting Flag, letting the people around know that they were a hunting party and not at war, and the guide for the day would be the flag-bearer. Due to the potential for skirmishes and battles on the bison hunting trips, such as the Battle of Grand Coteau, the red flag could serve as a standard.
Some have also suggested that the flag started out as someone's attempt to design a flag for the Métis, and was putting out feelers to trial a design, which is why there are both red and blue flags with the common feature being the white infinity symbol.
The difficulty in knowing the accurate history of the origin of the flag and potential interpretations of the symbolism is that there are no known records that accurately describe the origin of the flag in a first-hand account nor other written records of its creation.

Alternative Hypothesis on the Colours of the Flag

Prominent Métis lawyer, historian, and author, Jean Teillet, argues that the story of the origin of the Métis flag is an urban myth. Of the first three historic accounts of the Métis flag, only James Sutherland attributed the flag as a gift from the North West Company, based on rumours that he was told. Teillet argues that the Métis had a more active role in the origin of the flag, rather than being passive recipients of the flag or being manipulated by the North West Company.
In 1815, popular fabrics in tradings posts that were available were calico, corduroy, plaid, and stroud. Stroud, a woollen, felt-like, broadcloth commonly used in making coats, was the only suitable material available for making flags. The common colours that were available at the time were green, red, and blue. Telliet asserts that as a matter of practicality, the Métis would have used the material that was available to them for making flags. When they needed to make a new flag, they purchased the material that was available, and if red was not available, they might have chosen to use blue instead. Rather than being a strategic ideological decision to align colours with particular trading companies, her assertion is that the colour was a reaction to what was practical in that time and location.

History

Originally, the flags that would have been flown in Rupert's Land and across the North-Western Territory were of the Hudson's Bay Company
:File:Hudson's Bay Company Flag.svg|flag and North West Company :File:Flag of the North West Company Pre-1801.svg|flag, respectively, and the Union Jack. As the Métis Nation was coming into existence, Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield is said to have gifted the Métis employed by the North West Company a flag in 1814, but there are not records that directly confirm this. The Métis flag predates the Flag of Canada by 151 years, and is the oldest Canadian patriotic flag that is indigenous to Canada.
The flag was first reported by James Sutherland in 1815 as red with an infinity symbol, and that it was being flown by Cuthbert Grant.
Likewise, Peter Fidler also reported seeing a red Métis flag around March 12, 1816 on the Qu'Appelle River, and said that it had been see the previous fall.
However, on June 1, 1816, Peter Fidler recorded in his Brandon House Journal that the Métis, under the leadership of Cuthbert Grant, were flying the blue flag when they attacked the Hudson's Bay Company's Brandon House, mere weeks before the Battle of Seven Oaks that happened on June 19, 1816. The reason for the change in the colour of the flag is not known.
In 2013, the Métis National Council secured an official mark for the flag to protect it as a symbol of the Métis Nation, and ensure it's collective ownership by citizens of the Métis Nation.

Other Flags Used by the Métis

Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia

The provisional government, the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia, established by the Métis under Louis Riel on December 8, 1869, flew a flag. There are numerous descriptions of the flag that was flown by the provisional government:
The provisional government established by Louis Riel at Batoche on March 19, 1885. A flag of the provisional government is not known, but a Métis Battle Standard was used at the Battle of Batoche. The flag was described as being a blue background, with a wolf's head and hand in the middle, and a banner with the Michif words "maisons... autels... Surtout Liberté".