Coat of arms of Nakong

Coat of arms of Nakong
Armiger	Republic of Nakong
Adopted	7 January 1951, last revised 2 May 1973
Crest	breaking through a cloud Argent and Azure, upon a Sun proper the Shangean characters NA-KONG
Blazon	Argent on water barry wavy in base proper a helm Gules, on a Chief Gules three garbs in fesse Or
Supporters	on the dexter a Shangean Dragon rampant Or unguled Gules, on the sinister a Gryffon segreant Argent unguled Gules and with wings erect Or
Motto	the country name is written upon a scroll in the position of the slogan
Orders	collar of the Order of the Resplendent Orchid
Earlier versions	File:Coat of arms of Nakong (1951-1958).png Coat of arms of the Nakong Free State (1951–1958)

The coat of arms of Nakong (Shangean: 内江国徽) is a principal national symbol of the Republic of Nakong. It depicts a shield with wheat garbs honouring Nakong's agricultural bounty and a red wheel over waves symbolizing Nakong's maritime heritage. The coat of arms, originally comprising only the shield, was adopted in 1923. It was later augmented with supporters upon the formation of the self-ruled Nakong Free State in 1951 before undergoing further stylistic changes upon independence in 1958.

The red wheel, an element of the shield on the coat of arms, has become a national symbol of Nakong in its own right, being the symbol of the Self-Determination Congress and the logo of The South Seas Herald-Advocate, Nakong's newspaper of record.

Design

The primary element of the coat of arms of Nakong is the escrutcheon, which is white with a wave pattern and a red helm representing the island's nautical heritage as well as a red chief featuring three wheat garbs representing Nakong's agricultural bounty. Though theories about the symbolism of the red wheel abound, research has concluded that the colour red (known as gules in heraldic practice) was selected primarily to comply with the rule of tincture. Atop the shield is a scroll containing the name of the country as well as a golden sun piercing through a blue and white cloud, representing the return of hope amidst great darkness during the occupation and subsequent liberation of Nakong. The sun also contains the Shangean characters for Nakong, a nod to the Paisha language.

The shield is held up by two supporters: a Shangean dragon, the symbol of Imperial Shangea, and a griffin, the symbol of the Kingdom of Estmere. Together, they symbolize the history of Nakong's sovereigns. Additionally, the collar of the Order of the Resplendent Orchid, Nakong's highest decoration, hangs from the shield and represents the sovereignty of the Nakongese state.

History

A coat of arms, comprising solely the shield of the 1951 coat of arms, was first granted to the Colony of Nakong by Estmerish royal warrant in 1923. It had previously been in unofficial use since the 1880s, when Governor Sir Andrew Farnley first proposed the symbol in a report to metropolitan authorities. This shield was then incorporated into the colonial flag, replacing a previous version that used a simple wave badge.

Following the establishment of the self-governed Nakong Free State in 1951, the coat of arms was augmented by the addition of the griffin and dragon supporters, the sun breaking through the clouds, the collar of the Order of the South Seas and two mottos: one simply reading "Nakong" and the other reading "Let waters bring forth life"—a quote from Genesis 1:20 of the Sotirian Scriptures.

In the lead-up to independence in 1958, a debate erupted within the Self-Determination Congress about whether to replace the colonial-era symbol with a new symbol altogether or to make minor adjustments to remove overt Estmerish symbolism. While an anti-colonial faction led by William Wong Wai-nam, they were opposed by an Embrophilic group led by future Prime Minister Paul Chak Tin-ngai. Ultimately, SDC leader Harold Lam sided with Chak, reasoning that the arms are a better reflection of the diverse heritage of Nakong than a more Coian symbol would be.

Changes to the coat of arms included the removal of the gorged crown from the griffin to symbolize the end of Estmerish sovereignty, the replacement of the colonial Order of the South Seas with the republican Order of the Resplendent Orchid, and the replacement of the Estmerish flag in the chief by three wheat garbs representing Nakongese agriculture. The Sotirian motto was also removed due to its colonial and religious undertones, though the Parliament of Nakong was not able to agree on a replacement motto so the scroll was omitted entirely.

On Independence Day 1973, the coat of arms were slightly modified to place the Shangean characters for Nakong in the sun, in response to criticism by Paisha nationalists that only Estmerish was present on a principal national symbol.

Use

The coat of arms of Nakong is protected by state copyright under the National Symbols Act 1958 and unauthorized use of the arms is a criminal offence punishable by five years' imprisonment. Permission to use the coat of arms must be obtained from the Department of State for Language, Culture and Heritage.

However, there are no restrictions on the use of individual symbols in the coat of arms. The red wheel in particular has taken on a role as a symbol of Nakong in its own right, being associated with Paisha nationalism on account of not being a Shangean cultural symbol (unlike the dragon or the orchid). As a result, the red wheel is the official symbol of the Self-Determination Congress and included in the logo of The South Seas Herald-Advocate, Nakong's newspaper of record.

Other coats of arms

• Coat of arms of Ningcho.png

  Coat of arms of the Corporation of the Council of the City and Boroughs of Ning Chow

• 

  Coat of arms of the National University of Nakong

• Nakong Police Agency badge.svg

  Badge of the Nakong Police Agency

• File:Nakong Autonomous Security Force badge.png

  Badge of the Nakong Autonomous Security Force

See also

• Flag of Nakong
• National symbols of Nakong