From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Flag
Bougainville
|
|
Use
| Civil
and
state flag
|
---|
Proportion
| 2:3
|
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Adopted
| 1975
|
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Design
| Red and white
upe
headdress superimposed on a green and white
kapkap
, on a field of cobalt blue.
|
---|
Designed by
| Jonathan Havini
Marilyn Havini
Moses Havini
|
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|
The
Flag of Bougainville
(
Tok Pisin
:
plak bilong Bogenvil
) is a symbol of the
Autonomous Region of Bougainville
in
Papua New Guinea
. It was originally adopted in 1975 by the secessionist
Republic of the North Solomons
.
Design and symbolism
[
edit
]
According to the
Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018
, the flag consists of "a depiction of an
upe
superimposed over concentric discs of black and white on a
cobalt blue
field". The
upe
is a traditional headdress worn by Bougainvillean men as a symbol of adulthood. The black disc "represents the distinctive skin colour of the Bougainvillean people", while the white disc represents the
kapkap
, a traditional symbol of authority made from
mother of pearl
. The 24 green equilateral triangles within the
kapkap
symbolise "the importance of land to the Bougainvillean people", the blue field represents the ocean. The official flag
aspect ratio
is 2:3.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
The flag was designed by Jonathan Havini and his son
Moses Havini
, with the first flag produced by Moses's Australian wife Marilyn Havini.
[2]
[3]
It was first raised at
Arawa
on 1 September 1975, during the independence celebrations for the unrecognised
Republic of North Solomons
.
[4]
It was chosen in a nationwide competition, with the selection panel appointed by the Bougainville Provincial Assembly including
John Momis
, Peter Sissiou and
Leo Hannett
.
[3]
As a symbol of secession, the flag was initially proscribed by the PNG government. In January 1976, a primary school on Buka Island was shut down for flying the flag.
[5]
However, the flag was retained by the North Solomons Province following the reintegration of the republic into PNG in 1976.
[6]
The
Provincial Symbols Act 1978
gave official status to the flag and made it an offence to use it for a commercial purpose without the consent of the responsible minister.
[7]
Later, the
Autonomous Bougainville Government
's
Bougainville Flag, Emblem and Anthem (Protection) Act 2018
reaffirmed the official status of the flag. It also created a new offence of using, displaying, destroying or damaging the flag with the intention of dishonouring it, with a maximum fine of
10,000 kina
, and extended the fine for unauthorised commercial use to a maximum of 100,000 kina for corporations.
[7]
[1]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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Sovereign states
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Associated states
of New Zealand
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Dependencies
and other territories
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