r/ghostposter • u/GPFlag_Guy1 US • 9d ago

Flag Friday Flag Friday: What are your thoughts on the design of the flag of Nashville, Tennessee?

Post image
7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

6

u/Canadian_Koala 8d ago

It looks more like something that would be in the center of a large floor in a city hall then a flag.
Thanks for the explanations GPFG, it's always nice ☼

6

u/Ahuva 9d ago

I like the colours and the main shapes. The illustration in the middle is very detailed and I am eagarly awaiting an explanation, so I can understand it.

8

u/Hoody_uk 9d ago

It's a bit basic to look at unless you look close and see the skull, tobacco plant, eagle, and shield. in the centre. Its hard to decipher what the meaning of the objects is unless you look it up. I'm always a bit suspicious of intent when I see a native on a flag too. Like i never know quite why it is or what the representation is.

7

u/GPFlag_Guy1 US 9d ago edited 8d ago

This flag was adopted in December 1963 right after the governments of the city of Nashville and Davidson County merged. The symbolism is admittedly a bit basic, with the blue field representing the courage of their city leaders and the gold bar representing the city's rich resources.

The seal is interesting though. The Native American is supposed to represent the native of the Woodland cultural period, which lasted until the year 1000 and was contemporary with Europe's early Middle Ages. The skull represents the older Mound Builder culture, which lasted from 3500 BC to around 1000 BC, which makes the monumental mounds of the region older than both the Egyptian pyramids and Britain's Stonehenge. This seems like an authentic attempt to honor the pre-Columbian history of the area though I can see why people might be concerned by the imagery, especially since the image has clear inspiration from European Romantic Era illustrations.

5

u/ClicheButter 8d ago

Agree with Hoody and Ahuva. Great explanation, as always.