PROPOSAL FOR NEW HELA FLAG
Recently, the Hela Provincial Assembly decided to change the Hela Flag, so that it defines the unity of four genealogical descendants of Hela. The previous Flag shows a Painted Huli Wigman with face painting which in some ways do not display gender equality.
A. PROBLEMS WITH THE PAST FLAG:
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| PICTURE 1: OLD/PREVIOUS FLAG |
A1. Stone Axe: Stone Axe depicts our culture and past which was used on our previous Hela Flag. Stone Axe was simple of our ancestors. However, two reasons made it not good icon. (1) It is not used by all sons of Hela. Two, it should not be placed in the middle above green colour. Green colour our middle generation, present generation, where we don’t use such tools. The black colour at the bottom shows our past. (see explanation in Section B6).
A2. WIGMEN with wig headdress and face paint does not represent gender equality. Hela is not belonging to only male gender.
A3. Blue circle
in the middle do not reflects any
meaning at all why it is placed as a circle right in the middle above green
colour and on top of which is WIGMEN. No meaning can be derived from which.
B. PROPOSED NEW HELA FLAG
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| PICTURE 2: PROPOSED NEW HELA FLAG |
If the Hela Flag has to be changed, then I would suggest the above flag (or similar) be officially used. My explanations for this proposed flag above are as follows:
B1. COLOUR NOT CHANGED: The colours from previous flag are not changed. These colours are: YELLOW, RED, BLACK, GREEN, BLUE,
WHITE. Many
shirts, skirts, bilums, caps, etc. have been made by our patriotic Hela people already,
using these colours, thus the colours are maintained. This is to strengthen the SME ventures our citizens are engaging.
B2. RED WIG: One of the unique cultures that are putting our province on world map is our culture, known as “Wigmen”. Our Rugby Team is known as “Hela Wigmen”. The wig is unique and never developed by other provinces. That unique culture must be our icon thus must be shown on Hela Flag regardless of whether we are Huli, Tuna, Tuguba, Opena or Hewa. Its colour is in RED which is the colour of blood and fire, is associated with meanings of love, passion, desire, heat, longing, lust, sexuality, sensitivity, romance, joy, strength, leadership, courage, vigour, willpower, rage, anger, danger, malice, wrath, stress, action, vibrancy, radiance, and determination.
B3. FLAME & RIG: The Rig with Flame in Blue colour shows our natural resources. Hela province in known all over as a major producer of Oil & Gas, thus, must be our icon too which should display on our Flag. Its colour is mostly in BLUE which represents both the sky and the sea, and is associated with open spaces, freedom, intuition, imagination, expansiveness, inspiration, and sensitivity. Blue also represents meanings of depth, trust, loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, confidence, stability, faith, heaven, and intelligence.
B4. FIVE STARS: These represent well known Hela descendants: Hela HULI, Hela TUNA, Hela OPENA, Hela TUGUPA and only daughter Wan HEWA (smaller star because we have minority Hewas within Hela). White, an inherently positive colour, is associated with purity, virginity, innocence, light, goodness, heaven, safety, brilliance, illumination, understanding, cleanliness, faith, beginnings, sterility, spirituality, possibility, humility, sincerity, protection, softness, and perfection, which all Hela descendants aspire to have and live with.
B5. BIRD OF PARADISE: This is on PNG Flag and this shows that we are one of the provinces within Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The colour of PNG Bird of Paradise and Hela Wig are same, to say, we are Papua New Guineans with same dreams of living in this land our ours, as told in section 2.
B6. FLAG SECTIONS OF COLOURS: The Colours are defined herein:
- Bottom BLACK shows Hela’s past (the dull/doom/gloomy) culture and way of life our ancestors lived. The black colour is associated with power, fear, strength, authority, elegance, formality, death, evil, and aggression, authority, rebellion and sophistication. Black is required of all colours so is our foundation, on which other colours will come out to be.
- Middle GREEN shows the life, renewal, nature, and energy, which is associated with meaning of growth, harmony, freshness, safety, fertility, and environment. Green is also traditionally associated with money, finance, banking and ambitions. The Papua New Guinea is independent for 44 years; it is in the middle to show our standing with PNG and world.
- Top YELLOW shows our future. It is the colour of sunshine, hope, and happiness. It stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honour, loyalty, and joy. Also, it represents cowardliness and deceit too. It is placed at the top location, on which Bird of Paradise flies, to show that Hela will one day compete equally and be equal among rest of Papua New Guinea.
MAY HELA USE THIS NEW FLAG (IF YOU AGREE WITH ME)?
(C) Tarali T. HIBUYA
