Seal of Minnesota

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Great Seal of the State of Minnesota
Historical coat of arms
(illustrated, 1876)
ArmigerState of Minnesota
AdoptedMay 10, 1983[1]
MottoL'Étoile du Nord
(English: The Star of the North)

The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota is the

state seal of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Originally adopted in 1858 following Minnesota's statehood, the seal's original version is an adaptation of Minnesota's territorial seal modified by the state's first governor and fur trader, Henry Hastings Sibley. It has been modified several times by the state legislature since 1858, including in 1971 and 1983.[2] The seal's design symbolizes many important aspects to Minnesota's history and culture; such as the growth of industry powered by Saint Anthony Falls, the state's Native American heritage, the importance of industries like lumber and agriculture, and the taming of the wilderness by the state's early pioneers. The seal is prominently featured on the Minnesotan flag
.

In the past decades,[

North Star, and is themed around Minnesota's nature.[4]
The new seal will replace the current one on Statehood Day (May 11) in 2024.

Origins

The need for a seal came when Minnesota became a territory in 1849 and it was necessary to stamp official documents with something. Territorial Governor Alexander Ramsey first used one of his own design—a sunburst surrounded by the motto, “Liberty, Law, Religion, and Education.” The Territorial Council then approved a second version depicting a Native family offering a ceremonial pipe to a white visitor, symbolizing “the eternal friendship” between settlers and Native Americans.[5]

Fur trader and territorial Representative

teepee to the territorial symbol. That seal became official in 1849.[6]

When Minnesota became a state in 1858, Sibley became the state's first governor. The state should have now changed the seal to reflect its new status, but even though the Legislature approved a new design, Sibley insisted on the one he had promoted while he was a territorial representative. He changed the motto to the current one in French and reoriented the Native American horseman so that he would ride into sunset. The Legislature yielded and approved Sibley's design in 1861.[6]

Purpose

The duly elected

oaths of office for state officials,[11] state agency administrative rules,[12][13][14][15] evidences of state debt,[16] extraditions,[17][18] certificates of registration for trademarks,[19] notary public commissions,[20] certifications of notarized documents,[21] or changes to municipal boundaries,[22] among many other public documents.[23]

Symbolism

The seal includes two human figures, a

industry and the settling of the state. (The river and waterfall are not on the original State Seal.) Beyond the falls on the current seal are three red pine (also known as Norway pine) trees representing the state tree and the three pine regions of the state: the St Croix, Mississippi, and Lake Superior.[26][27][28]

Controversy

When the seal was commissioned, it was fairly common for territories to adopt seals with the underlying theme of manifest destiny, i.e. the belief that White settlers were ordained by God to colonize new territories.[6] Mary, Seth Eastman's wife, wrote a poem that suggested that "the red man's course is onward" and that the land should come to "the white man's grasping hand."[29]

Indigenous groups in Minnesota find the imagery offensive because their perception is that the seal celebrates the removal of Native Americans.

Upper Sioux Community, few tribal reservations in the state fly the flag that contains the seal for the same reason.[32]

2023 redesign

The new officially adopted design

State Representative Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) introduced a bill that would create a State Emblems Redesign Commission (passed as part of the state budget).[33] Freiberg justified his decision by deriding the current state seal as "a cluttered genocidal mess" that was in need of change. New designs of the flag and the seal are to be submitted in a report to the legislature by January 1, 2024, and, unless a bill is passed to reject the designs, the designs will become official designs on May 11, 2024 (Statehood Day).[32]

On December 5, 2023, the commission declared the new design by Ross Bruggink the winner in the contest, subject to small corrections. It features a

Norway pine). The seal will also contain the Dakota phrase Mni Sóta Makoce, which is translated to 'land where the waters reflect the sky'.[34]

On December 19, 2023, the commission standardized the design by specifying that the outer seal will have 98 gold "boxes" to symbolize the

87 counties and 11 recognized American Indian tribes of Minnesota.[35]

2023 redesign criticism

The replacement of the Official Minnesota State Motto L'Etoile du Nord (translated to English as 'The Star of the North') with a Dakota language phrase Mni Sóta Makoce sparked controversy.

The redesign committee was directed in statute that: "Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design."[36]

Since the Dakota language is not an official language of the State, and the phrase Mni Sóta Makoce is not an official phrase of the State, conservative lawmakers have come out against the change.[37][38]

During commission proceedings, Minnesota Secretary of State, Steve Simon urged committee members not to include the Dakota phrase: "I would just ask members, since this is an item of some controversy, I would respectfully ask for a 'no' vote on this motion". Simon also urged the committee to keep the Minnesota statehood year, 1858, on the seal. The year was ultimately removed due to concerns from the Dakota community stemming from its association with broken treaties between governments of the United States and the Dakota people.[39]

Government seals of Minnesota

See also

References

  1. ^ Office of the Revisor of Statutes (May 10, 1983). "119". 1.135 STATE SEAL. State of Minnesota. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  2. ^ Minnesota Historical Society. "State Seal" (PDF). State of Minnesota. pp. 21–23. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2005.
  3. ^ "HF1830". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 2023.
  4. ^ Cummings, Caroline (2023-12-08). "Designer of new Minnesota state seal "honored" the commission chose his work". WCCO - CBS Minnesota. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  5. ^ a b c Convery, William (2023-09-20). "Minnesota State Seal". MNOpedia. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  6. ^ a b c d Bierschbach, Briana (2023-11-03). "Minnesota's state seal and flag are changing. How was this controversial image created?". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  7. ^ "Article XIII, Section 11, Minnesota Constitution". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  8. ^ "Sec. 4.034, 2023 Minnesota Statutes". Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  9. ^ "Sec. 4.03, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  10. ^ "Sec. 4.035, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesoat Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  11. ^ "Sec. 358.11, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  12. ^ "Sec. 14.08, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  13. ^ "Sec. 14.16, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  14. ^ "Sec. 14.26, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "Sec. 14.386, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "Sec. 16A.462, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  17. ^ "Sec. 629.07, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Sec. 929.22, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Sec. 333.21, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  20. ^ "Sec. 359.01, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  21. ^ "Apostille Authentication". Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  22. ^ "Sec. 414.09, 2023 Minn. Stats". Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  23. ^ "About Official Documents". Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
  24. ^ "Sec. 1.135 MN Statutes". www.revisor.mn.gov. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  25. ^ "Minnesota (U.S.)". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  26. ^ "Minnesota Statutes - 1.135 STATE SEAL". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 1983. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  27. ^ www.n-state.com, NSTATE, LLC. "Minnesota State Flag - About the Minnesota Flag, its adoption and history from NETSTATE.COM". www.netstate.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "1.135, 2011 Minnesota Statutes". 2012-06-09. Archived from the original on 2012-06-09. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  29. ISBN 978-0-87351-584-9
    .
  30. ^ Judd, Jake. "Finalists Selected for Redesigned State Flag and Seal to Eliminate Controversial Imagery". KNSI. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  31. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  32. ^ a b Callaghan, Peter (2023-06-08). "Formal effort begins to replace 'cluttered genocidal mess' on Minnesota flag". MinnPost. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  33. ^ "HF1830". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 2023.
  34. ^ "Minnesota's new state seal will feature a loon". FOX 9. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-12-10.
  35. ^ Minnesota flag redesign commission meeting | LIVE, retrieved 2023-12-19
  36. ^ https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/2023/0/Session+Law/Chapter/62/#:~:text=Sec.%20118.%20STATE%20EMBLEMS%20REDESIGN%20COMMISSION.
  37. ^ https://klfdradio.com/news/local/urdahl-opposes-new-seal-flag-designs
  38. ^ https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/minnesota-state-flag-lawmakers-could-intervene/
  39. ^ https://alphanews.org/commission-adds-dakota-phrase-removes-statehood-date-and-motto-from-new-seal/

 This article incorporates text by William Convery available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

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