deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

The state of Oklahoma. The word itself comes from two Choctaw words: okla-humma (Red People). The nickname ‘The Sooner State’ refers to the non-white people who staked claims on the land before the official opening of lands in the Oklahoma Territory.

The history of the state is completely involved with the Host Nation People who traveled through the land and the relocation of Native Americans into a place the white settler nation thought was a safe place to ‘store’ those people [ie, The Trail of Tears]. Oklahoma remains in the news even today as the US attempts to honor treaties.

The flag is a Choctaw Sky blue field with the Osage Nation buffalo-skin shield with seven eagle feathers. The Osage is covered by two symbols of peace: the ceremonial pipe and an olive branch. The official flag salute says: “I salute the flag of the state of Oklahoma: It’s symbols of peace unite all people.” Flag design-wise there is no need to include the word Oklahoma, without it the flag would be an excellent representation of the state.

There is no other state in the Union where the relationship between the original people of the land and the white European settlers is an ongoing process than Oklahoma.