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Out of Many One People
Considered as a legacy from the British with slight modifications, the Jamaican Coat of Arms was granted to Jamaica in 1661 under Royal Warrant. The original was designed by William Sancroft, then Archbishop of Canterbury.
The motto of the seal has been a matter of discussion for years since inception. The original motto, INDVS VTERQVE SERVIET VNI is the Latin translation for "The two Indians will serve as one", or rather "Both Indies will serve Together", in reference to the collective servitude of the Taino and Arawak Indians to the colonizers. The motto was replaced in 1962 with the English motto "Out of Many, One People", as tribute to the unity of the different cultural minorities inhabiting the nation. Perhaps as coincidence, the motto has the same meaning as the motto of the United States; E Pluribus Unum.
The motto of the seal has been a matter of discussion for years since inception. The original motto, INDVS VTERQVE SERVIET VNI is the Latin translation for "The two Indians will serve as one", or rather "Both Indies will serve Together", in reference to the collective servitude of the Taino and Arawak Indians to the colonizers. The motto was replaced in 1962 with the English motto "Out of Many, One People", as tribute to the unity of the different cultural minorities inhabiting the nation. Perhaps as coincidence, the motto has the same meaning as the motto of the United States; E Pluribus Unum.
Jamaica Slowly gained increasing independence from the United Kingdom. In 1958, it became a province in the Federation of the West Indies, a federation among the British West Indies. Jamaica attained full independence by leaving the federation in 1962.
The flag of Jamaica was adopted on August 6, 1962, the original Jamaican Independence Day, the country having gained independence from the British-protected Federation of the West Indies.
The flag consists of a gold saltire, which divides the flag into four sections: two of them green (top and bottom) and two black (hoist and fly).
The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition. It was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the Tanganyikan flag, and so the saltire was substituted. It hints at the Scottish and Irish roots of much of the population, while black, green, and gold are Pan-African colors, representing the country's black majority population. An earlier interpretation of the colors was, "hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth": gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land. However, that was changed to the colour black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome the odds, yellow for the golden sunshine and green for the lush vegetation of the island.
The flag consists of a gold saltire, which divides the flag into four sections: two of them green (top and bottom) and two black (hoist and fly).
The present design emerged from those sent in by the public in a national competition. It was originally designed with horizontal stripes, but this was considered too similar to the Tanganyikan flag, and so the saltire was substituted. It hints at the Scottish and Irish roots of much of the population, while black, green, and gold are Pan-African colors, representing the country's black majority population. An earlier interpretation of the colors was, "hardships there are but the land is green and the sun shineth": gold recalls the shining sun, black reflects hardships, and green represents the land. However, that was changed to the colour black representing the strength and creativity of the people which has allowed them to overcome the odds, yellow for the golden sunshine and green for the lush vegetation of the island.