The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota is the state seal of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Originally adopted in 1858 following Minnesota's statehood, the seal's original version is an adaptation of Minnesota's territorial seal modified by the state's first governor and fur trader, Henry Hastings Sibley. It has been modified several times by the state legislature since 1858, including in 1971 and 1983. The seal's design symbolizes many important aspects to Minnesota's history and culture; such as the growth of industry powered by Saint Anthony Falls, the state's Native American heritage, the importance of industries like lumber and agriculture, and the taming of the wilderness by the state's early pioneers.
The seal is prominently featured on the Minnesotan flag. In recent years, the seal and the flag have prompted criticism for its perceived depiction of Minnesotans and Native Americans. In 2023, the state legislature created a commission to redesign both the seal and the state flag.
Symbolism
The seal includes two human figures, a Native American in the background and a pioneer in the foreground. The Native American is on horseback riding southward, symbolizing Minnesota's Native American heritage. The only interaction between the figures is that they are observing each other. The rider's horse and spear, and the pioneer's hand axe, long gun, powder horn, and plow represent tools of daily life. The tools used by the Native American and the farmer represent the tools used for labor and hunting while the stump symbolizes the taming of the land and the importance of the lumber industry to Minnesota in 1858. The furrowing of the ground by the plow represents the submission of the land to the pioneer. The plow also symbolizes the importance of agriculture to Minnesota and its future. On the western horizon is a sunset. The straight horizon line reflects the plains covering much of Minnesota. The Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls are depicted in the current seal to note the importance of these resources in transportation, industry and the settling of the state. (The river and waterfall are not on the original State Seal.) Beyond the falls on the current seal are three red pine trees representing the state tree and the three pine regions of the state; the St Croix, Mississippi, and Lake Superior.
Criticism of Symbolism
As displayed on the Flag of Minnesota, the Minnesota Great Seal has been criticized as racist. It is said to depict a European settler displacing an original Native American inhabitant of Minnesota. This inferred symbolism has been called an example of an erasure of native history to promote white racial power, as it provides a false historical context for the reality of native genocide and displacement as a result of white colonization. Over the years there were many proposals to redesign the seal.
2023 Redesign Commission
In May of 2023, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the creation of the Emblems Redesign Commission to redesign the State Seal and the Flag of Minnesota. The authorization was done as part of the annual state budget. The new commission is charged with developing a new design for both the flag and seal, with the revised designs to be submitted to the legislature for approval by January 1, 2024.
Under guidelines set out in the law, "the designs must accurately and respectfully reflect Minnesota's shared history, resources, and diverse cultural communities. Symbols, emblems, or likenesses that represent only a single community or person, regardless of whether real or stylized, may not be included in a design."