Last modified: 2012-11-17 by rick wyatt
Keywords: intertribal council of new england | icone | new england | new york | native american |
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image by Donald Healy, 8 January 2008
map image by Peter Orenski based on input from Don Healy
Intertribal Council of New England (I.C.O.N.E.) - New England and New York
A Gathering of people of Native American heritage was first organized in June 1997 by those seeking to learn about the heritage and ways of their ancestors. The Council was, for the most part, Cherokee. It did not take long, due to an honest wish to pay Honor and Respects to Our Ancestors, before others of various Native American heritages sought to become part of this unity of knowledge, and desire to learn came full circle. Thus I.C.O.N.E. was established in January 2002, and one of the first tasks of the Council of Elders was to develop a flag - a project started in early January 2002 and accomplished some six weeks later by mid-February 2002. "The design was chosen to Honor all our Brothers and Sisters. It is a sign of Unity, Honor and Respect for All" according to an I.C.O.N.E. spokesperson.
© Donald Healy 2008
The four basic colors of the I.C.O.N.E. flag - white, black, red and yellow - represent the four colors of Mankind. The turquoise hue of the central heptagon is symbolic of the Sacred Circle and Father Sky. The green in the abbreviations for New England States (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) and New York, honors Mother Earth. The four brown logs represent the Four Directions, and the color brown symbolizes the Center of All Things. The seven flames represent the Seven Sacred Ceremonies or The Seven Directions of Life; these are just two examples of the many other beliefs represented by the number Seven.
© Donald Healy 2008
information provided by Peter Orenski, 8 January 2008