Judith Harrington, an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, says that, given the current furor over the Confederate battle flag, we should now consider changing … Minnesota’s state flag.
According to the Minnesota Legislative Manual, the flag includes an “Indian on horseback … riding due south and [representing] the Indian heritage of Minnesota. The Indian’s horse and spear and pioneer’s ax, rifle, and plow represent tools that were used for hunting and labor.”
But, says Harrington, a “closer examination” of the image shows
… the central figure to be a white pioneer dressed in work clothes, wearing a wide-brim hat and pushing a plow. He is an iconic image of a hardworking, rugged individualist who works alone to chop the trees, plow the land and protect his home. He is looking over his shoulder at the Indian, who is riding a horse and holding a spear.
Here is an image of the flag. To me, it is at the very least unclear whether the white guy is “looking over his shoulder;” it actually appears his head is looking down at what he’s doing, which is, as noted, plowing.
Alas, to a determined progressive, that interpretation wouldn’t fit the narrative.
Harrington continues in the Star Tribune:
The contrast in the images of the figures is interesting: The image of the pioneer, a peaceful man who has laid down his gun and is plowing his field, is juxtaposed with the image of the Indian, who may still want to fight (his spear is at the ready) but who seems to be riding away. The pioneer/farmer is using a plow, a symbol of civilization. The white man is depicted as a “doer” who is entitled to the land, trees and water, empowered by the concept of Manifest Destiny. The Indian is the vacating tenant. A peaceful transition is suggested, but this ignores the tense and problematic history of conflict between European settlers and Indians, such as the complicated history of treaties and the Dakota War of 1862. More problematic, however, is the depiction of a racist, stereotyped Indian, who wears only a loin cloth and a feather.
She points out that a new state flag was proposed in 1989 — “a star and a simple white, blue and green wave design” — but it “has not gained sufficient support.”
Perhaps that is because your average joe doesn’t put in an exorbitant amount of time pondering what the images could mean, and sees the flag as simply depicting several historical facets of the state.
And make no mistake — the grievance industry still would have found something to complain about if that 1989 design had been adopted.
h/t to Gateway Pundit.
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