People's Party, 1907. A. Federley. [source]
The unofficial flag of the Swedish-speaking Finns is a red-and-yellow cross flag, whose colours are based on the Finnish coat of arms, which was adopted in the late 16h-century when Finland was a part of Sweden. The red-and-yellow cross flag first appeared during the great flag debate of 1862–63, when Senate secretary Carl Forsman proposed it as the merchant flag for the Grand Duchy of Finland. Finland was not granted a merchant flag at that time, but until independence there was lively debate in Finland about what the national flag and its colours should be. Swedish-speakers generally supported red and yellow, and the most typical forms of these colours were either a cross flag with a yellow cross or a lion flag. There were other red & yellow designs as well, but these two were the most common.
Borgåbladet wrote on 13th of August, 1912, about the red-and-yellow cross flag:
» Among Swedish speakers, there is unanimous agreement on the significance of the cross, and naturally, they prefer a yellow cross on a red background. In fact, the use of a cross-shaped flag with a yellow cross on a red field has already become quite common, and for good reason. Such a flag has great meaning for us, symbolising many of the finest ideas that have taken root here. It reminds us that the first seeds of civilisation and culture were sown in these lands under the christian cross. It also testifies of our connection with the Nordic region, as flags in all Nordic countries have adopted the cross flag. In Sweden they sing: "Hail, our cross-banner in blue!", why should we not sing: "Hail, our cross-banner in red!" » [1]
When Finland gained independence in 1917, and the Civil War ended in a White victory in the spring of 1918, the parliament held a heated debate
over the national flag. The Senate attempted to adopt the lion flag as a state flag, and it was used as such unnofficially during the Civil War, but already in May 1918
it was replaced by the blue cross flag. The decision was hastened by the fact
that the colour red, in the aftermath of the Civil War, was seen by many as stained and associated with socialist rebellion.
Swedish-language newspapers and representatives strongly criticised the blue cross flag, calling it, among other things,
too Russian because of its resemblance to imperial yacht flags.
Although the red-and-yellow flag lost its status as a state symbol, it did not disappear from use. In the 1920s it
became associated with the Swedish-speaking population and the Swedish People’s Party (SFP). Both lion
flags and red-and-yellow cross flags continued to be used in Swedish-speaking areas long after the blue cross flag
had been adopted. At commemorative events of the Civil War, for example, red-and-yellow flags were prominently
displayed, particularly in Ostrobothnia, which led to tensions with Finnish-speakers, who insisted on the exclusive
use of the blue cross flag. In some areas, the red-and-yellow flag were regarded as politically divisive well into the 1930s. [2]
Already in the first parliamentary elections of 1907, the SFP had used Alex Federley’s campaign poster Mannen med flaggan
(“The Man with the Flag”), depicting a lion flag flying in a quintessentially Finland-Swedish coastal scene. The poster
quickly became an iconic expression of Finland-Swedish national sentiment. The theme of the man with the flag was not
confined to party campaigning but was widely adopted in various illustrations whenever Finland-Swedish identity
and pride were to be conveyed. The imagery alternated between the red-and-yellow lion flag and the cross flag.
The motif remained in the SFP’s election material until the parliamentary elections of 1966. [3]
Although the SFP has since abandoned red-and-yellow flags, and the lion flag is no longer associated with Swedish-speaking Finns, the red-and-yellow cross flag has become established as their unofficial flag. It has never been made official, but it appears from time to time on Swedish-speaking holidays and cultural events. No proportions have been codified for the cross flag, but its cross has usually been narrower than that of the blue cross flag. The shades of red and yellow are the same as in the coat of arms.
The flag of Åland is a yellow-and-red cross on a blue field. The flag was established in the Åland Islands Act in December 1953, and confirmed by the President of the Republic in March 1954. It was first raised on the flagpole at Mariehamn town hall on 3 April the same year.
Before Finland’s independence, people in the Åland islands generally leaned towards red-and-yellow colours in the flag question, although it was never as significant of a matter as in mainland Finland. On the eve of independence, however, red-and-yellow was set aside as Åland experienced a strong movement to unite with Sweden. At this time the blue-and-yellow colours became the most important for Ålanders, being both the colours of the Swedish flag and those of Åland’s centuries-old coat of arms. Although the Åland question was ultimately resolved in Finland’s favour in 1922, the blue-and-yellow colours remained popular in Åland.
The first proposal for Åland’s own provincial flag appeared in 1922. Bookseller Frithiof Liewendahl designed a three striped flag
(blue–yellow–blue), which was produced for the Åland song festival. The flag became an unofficial provincial symbol, and Liewendahl sold it
in his own bookshop. The Finnish blue-and-white flag was rather rare in Åland, as the region’s identity was still strongly Swedish.
A flag decree issued in Finland in 1934 required that alongside other flags, the Finnish flag had to be raised above them.
The decree was mainly intended to restrict the use of socialist flags in mainland Finland, but it was also applied in Åland,
where it caused dissatisfaction.[3]
In the 1930s, discussion began in Åland about making their own flag official by law. Representative Herman Mattsson supported resolving
the flag question and reportedly favoured the three striped flag. Provincial archaeologist Matts Dreijer submitted a statement on the matter
to the provincial assembly in 1939. He considered the blue-and-yellow colours the most natural, given Åland’s historical background,
and included two sketches: Liewendahl’s flag and a white flag with a blue-and-yellow cross. The outbreak of the Winter War
halted further discussion.[4]
The new Self-Government Act of 1951 gave Åland the legally recognised right to its own flag. Representatives then debated between
Liewendahl’s three striped flag and a blue-yellow-blue cross flag. The provincial government decided to propose the latter,
but President J. K. Paasikivi vetoed it, believing the design resembled the Swedish state flag too closely.
New proposals were then needed. The provincial government now suggested a yellow flag with a blue cross, a kind of inverted version
of the Swedish flag, but this did not gain support among representatives. Discussions revived the previously suggested 1939 white flag
with a blue-and-yellow cross, as well as a yellow version of the same. State Archivist Yrjö Nurmio, responding to the representatives’ inquiry,
proposed adopting a banner-of-arms for the province. Liewendahl’s flag was also brought up again. Finally, a new proposal emerged:
a blue flag with a red-and-yellow cross. In the end, these two last designs remained the strongest candidates. The provincial assembly
held extensive discussions, and the majority backed the blue-red-yellow cross flag. This version was approved in the Åland Islands Act
in 1953, confirmed by the President of the Republic the following spring, and officially adopted as Åland’s flag in 1954.[4]
The official Sámi flag, adopted at the 13th Sámi Conference in Åre in 1986, is vertically divided into a red field on the left and blue on the right, separated by a narrow green-and-yellow stripe. At the center, a half blue, half red circle spans across the colours. According to its designer, artist Astrid Båhl, the flag’s design is rooted in Sámi mythology and nature. The circle represents the sun and the moon, as traditionally depicted on the Sámi drum, while the colours reflect those of the gákti, the traditional Sámi dress. The circle also relates to the sun as the life-giving force to the earth. [6]
Båhl's design is similar to the flag designed by another artist, Synnøve Persen, back in 1977. Persen's
flag lacked the green stripe and the circle from Båhl's later design, but was otherwise very reminescent of it.
Persen had designed her flag during her
studies and it gained popularity in the 1970's and 80's among the Sámis during the protests against the damming of the Alta river in Norway.
During those protests the flag became linked with the ČSV movement, which was a Sámi youth movement that
advocated for Sámi rights and gained widespread attention at Alta. [6]
According to Persen the flag drew inspiration from gákti dresses and Sámi handicrafts. The gákti dresses from Buolbmát (Pulmanki)
and Varjját specifically are noted to incorporate similar red-yellow-blue elements. The design had also been used in
other Sámi political banners and, for example, on the cover of the 1971 catalogue over Sámi literature at Karasjok library.
[7]
The Alta river demonstrations, the ČSV movement and Persen's flag were somewhat controversial during the 1970's and 80's.
They were accused of extremism and separatism and even some Sámis became vary of trying to adopt a separate flag for the minority.
However, as Sámi activism became more organised and increasingly accepted within the broader Nordic political landscape, the symbolism of a
distinct Sámi flag gradually lost its earlier controversy, especially after Greenland adopted its own flag in 1985,
making the idea of indigenous flags more familiar in the region.
In 1985, the Nordic Sámi Council organised a flag competition whose submissions would be reviewed at the Sámi
Conference the following year. Nineteen designers’ proposals were accepted into the competition,
nine of which were presented at the conference. Persen’s 1977 flag was added as a tenth option, even though
it had not been formally submitted. In the end, the conference narrowed the choice to two designs: Persen’s
original flag and Båhl’s version featuring the green stripe and the circular sun–moon symbol. Båhl’s design
was favoured for being more representative of the broader Sámi community - thanks to its inclusion of green,
a traditional colour in some regional gákti - and for breaking European heraldic traditions regarding the rules of tincture, which
Persen’s flag had followed. [6]
Even before Persen’s flag, some Sámi artists had experimented with the idea of a Sámi flag, though none of these early
proposals gained wider attention. The earliest known attempt was likely by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, also known as Àillohaš ,
who was a Sámi artist from the Finnish side of the border. According to fellow artist Hans-Ragnar Mathisen, Valkeapää sent
a flag design to the editor-in-chief of the Sámi newspaper Ságat in 1967. His proposal featured a red field with stylised
reindeer antlers and a Sámi knife arranged in a manner reminiscent of the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union.
Valkeapää never took part in party politics publically, but is known to have participated in the support group
of a Finnish socialist presidential candidate in 1988. His flag design was never published. [6]
Hans-Ragnar Mathisen also took an early interest in a Sámi flag in 1970. His principal proposal was a red cross laid over an orange cross on a dark green field,
and he submitted it to the newspaper Ságat in 1970. He also urged the paper to organise a public flag competition,
though Ságat ultimately chose not to pursue the idea [5]. He also participated in the 1985-86 flag competition by the Sámi Council and
submitted a total of 29 different designs, none of which were chosen in the end.
Mathisen's letter to Ságat, 1970:
» Why should not Ságat newspaper take the initiative to announce a contest for a Sámi national flag? It would be preferable to have it as an inter-nordic matter, so that Sámit in Sweden and Finland, and for that sake also Russia could participate as well? I am fully aware of that many would find this too candid, unheard of, ‘national-romantic’, and what not. Yet I want to stress the importance of the matter, it is truly of mayor significance. Well, to not be the last one, here is my own suggestion: Red cross over yellow/orange cross on a dark green base. » [5]
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