National Badge of Freice

Emblem of Freice
Armiger	Queen Diana II
Adopted	10 August 2021
Blazon	A shield quartered by a cross azure, first and fourth quarter gules, a sun radiant Or; second and third quarter, four bars four bars azure, vert, orange, argent; and in nombril point a star radiant Or.
Use	The emblem is used on all Acts of the Island Meeting and government departments.

The Emblem of Freice (Freician: Temo oe Faio) is the national symbol of the Country of Freice, used alongside and in conjunction with the national flag. It was adopted in August 2021 following the 2021 Freician coup d'état, and formalised the following month. Following the creation of a new Island Meeting in January 2022 after the fall of the Common Wealth government, the emblem was reaffirmed as the national emblem.

It bears a traditional Freician shield used by warriors during the Qaba Dance, bearing a blue cross. The first and fourth quadrants of the shield depict a yellow sun on a red background, and the second and third a representation of the ethnic flag of the Freician people. In the centre is a star. The emblem was designed by Qogra Egel, based on a design he originally created in 1969.

Description

The emblem takes inspiration from western heraldic practices, with the blazon making use of a shield, albeit a traditional Freician shield in place of a standard three-point one. According to Idx́ūe'ēgel, the design incorporates various references to Freician history, identifying three distinct phases in Freician history.

The yellow sun on a red background represents Freice prior to Riamese colonisation. Although no national flag was used to represent the island at this time, this design was commonly used as a heraldic banner to represent the island's monarchs. The colour red was also commonly used in the form of a solid-coloured banner to represent nobility and the elite classes. The design was adopted because, according to Idx́ūe'ēgel, Freice's history prior to colonisation was driven by and primarily recorded through the activities of these classes, who provide the only known glimpse into this pre-colonial period. The Freician ethnic colours is used to represent both the Freician people and the Freician country, having been used as the interim flag prior to the adoption of the current flag. The original design was created whilst this initial flag was in use, being retained as an additional reference to the initial political movement from which the colours originated.

The blue cross is a reference to Freician colonisation, dividing the quadrants into the 'past' and the 'present'. The cross itself represents Christianity, with the colour symbolising the sea. The colour also links back to the current flag, having been changed from white to be more closely associated with contemporary Freician symbolism. In the centre is a star, representing the aspirations of the Freician people.

History

Freice was granted its first emblem in 1949 when the colonial government adopted a seal to replace the use of Riamese state symbols in Freician colonial government activities. The seal featured the Riamese coat of arms with 'Government-General of Freice' around it. The seal was later adapted, with a wreath added around the Riamese coat of arms in 1958.

Upon self-government in 1969, the colonial seal was retained, although heavily amended. The Riamese coat of arms was replaced with a stylised depiction of the island of Freice with the wording replaced by 'Seal of the Government of Freice.' This was an interim emblem for the exclusive use of government authorities and was not intended to be a permanent state symbol. The first permanent emblem was a shield divided into two halves. In the left half was a stylisation of traditional Freician work tools on a green background. In the right half was a representation of a fishing scene.

In 1980, a new emblem was adopted following criticism that the initial coat of arms was 'too western'. The seal consisted of a blue disc of the same colour as the field on the Freician national flag, representing the sea. In the bottom half of the disc was a depiction of the ocean, whilst the top half featured a depiction of the Frecian ethnic flag in the form of a rainbow, symbolizing the island's emergence from the ocean. In the centre was an orange disc featuring a circle of 38 stars, representing the 38 fish from which the Frecian people evolved in ancient tribal mythology. A further blue disc was superimposed onto this, bearing a white silhouette of the island of Freice, with the central emblem representing the island within the ocean protected by the sun and the stars.

Following the 2021 Freician Coup d'état, the current emblem was adopted. It was formally enshrined in law with the Law on the Establishment of National Symbols on 10 August 2021 and reaffirmed in the Schedules of Government passed on 1 September 2021.

Regulations on use

Although the emblem of the nation, the constitution defines it as a government symbol:

The Public Emblem of the Country of Freice shall be adopted as an official symbol of constitutional government. All organs of island government shall be represented by the emblem, the use of which shall require express permission from the relevant authorities as defined by law.

As such, the use of the national emblem without government permission is illegal, although there is no record of any prosecutions for it's unilateral use. Because of its legal position, there have been calls for the creation of a 'civic emblem' to be used alongside the Freician flag to represent the Freician nation in a non-government setting.

Gallery

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  Coat of Arms (1971-1980)

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  Emblem (1980-2021)

See also

• Flag of Freice
• Freice

External links

• Qưgre̩ be̩ƞɨ jeze̩ɉiǡ ġiḡurą pưƞqyǡ 'gi frɨs (in Freician) Webpage on the Cultural Bureau's official website.