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Haiti - Coat of Arms

République d'Haïti, Repiblik Dayti, Republic of Haiti

Last modified: 2021-08-25 by rob raeside
Keywords: haiti | cabbage palm | palm | royal palm | emperor palm | liberty cap | phrygian cap |
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image by Željko Heimer, 30 October 2001



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Coat of Arms

According to Album 2000 [pay00] - Coat of Arms - Shown with white rectangular background, but I choose to show it on transparent one. Of course, using the Corel clipart for this drawing, with very minor corrections and coloured after Album 2000. The main difference between the two are the chains under the trumpets shown in Album.
Željko Heimer, 30 October 2001

The first legal reference (I can find) to the arms is contained in Article 142 of the Constitution adopted in 1843, and the first legal reference to a flag containing those arms (where it is described as "the state flag and naval ensign") occurs in Article 2 of a Decree dated 18 May 1920, but I have no idea whether these arms or a flag containing them (although it seems likely) predates either of these. 
As a mattter of interest, the information I have suggests that the arms in use during the Duvalier period (1964 - 86) differed from those in use before and since by deleting the Cap of Liberty from the top of the palm tree.
Christopher Southworth, 17 March 2010

For example, "Hayti" is shown on p. 64 of 'Drawings of the Flags in Use at the Present Time by Various Nations' of 1889 aka [hms89] and is captioned "Ensign / Same as the ensign except that the Badge is omitted / Merchant flag".
These arms do not show a hill; we see two cannon plus a drum and six muskets, and a palm tree without freedom cap.
No doubt there are earlier examples, such as Hounsell 1873
Jan Mertens, 17 March 2010

Early examples of rather variable design can be found in [dpr44], p. 44 (caption "Gouvernement") and [Leg58], pl. 29 (caption "Ce pavillon est arboré à la poupe de tous les bâtiments de guerre de la république d'Haïti, les jours de fète et les dimanches.")
The "Manuel du Drapeau Haitien" (p. 15) mentions Alexandre Pétion (president 1806-1818) as having adopted the blue and red flag, but with the arms in the centre ("En dernier lieu Alexandre Pétion adopta le bleu et le rouge, mais dans la position horizontale ayant au milie l'Arbre de la Liberté, le Palmier avec la devise: 'L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE'").
Marcus Schmöger, 18 March 2010