Love it, hate it or yawn at it, Minnesota is set to get a new state flag this spring that echoes its motto of being the North Star State, replacing an old flag that brought up painful memories of conquest and displacement for Native Americans.
Minnesota is getting a new flag that more accurately represents “every Minnesotan,” said the state's Lt. governor, Peggy Flanagan. The new flag, approved by the State Emblems Redesign Commission on December 19, shows a white Northern star over a dark blue backdrop in the “abstract shape” of Minnesota, beside a lighter blue that’s meant to symbolize “the significance of water to our state,” according to the commission’s notes. The previous design of the Minnesota state flag has long been criticized for depicting a shirtless Native American person on horseback, seemingly being displaced from his land by a settler farmer.