australia aboriginal flag mug

The Australian Aboriginal Flag represents Aboriginal Australians. It is one of the officially proclaimed flags of Australia, by which it has special legal and political status together with the national flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag, with which it is often flown. The flag was designed in 1971 by Harold Thomas, an Aboriginal artist who is descended from the Luritja people of Central Australia. Thomas held the intellectual property rights to the flag's design until January 2022, when he transferred the copyright to the Commonwealth government. The flag was designed for the land rights movement and became a symbol of Aboriginal people of Australia. The symbolic meaning of the flag colours (as stated by Harold Thomas) is: Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector Red – the red can have two meanings: representing the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples’ spiritual relation to the land; and the blood of the Aboriginal people.