It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like an Aboriginal flag emoji is finally here! Well, kind of.
Representing some 60,000 years of First Nations culture, history, and pride, the flag has been noticeably absent from our keyboards these last few years. This is despite two separate proposals in 2019 and this year to Unicode — aka the global body responsible for developing emojis — which were rejected.
But thanks to First Nations-led illustration agency Solid Lines, and a little help from AI, the world’s first Indigenous flag emoji can still be accessed on your iPhone.
(Sorry Android users, you’ll have to wait a little longer.)
Peep the new addition. (Source: supplied)
“The meaning of the Aboriginal flag is an expression of who we are and how we are connected to Country and it’s an important milestone to be able to create this for the community,” said Emrhan Tjapanangka Sultan, Western Arrarnta, Luritja and Kokatha man, creative artist and Solid Lines co-founder.
“We now have an emoji that represents us and validates Aboriginal culture in digital spaces – ensuring representation on a global platform.”
The emoji has been developed via the newly launched Apple AI Genmoji feature, which is a new generative AI feature that creates custom emojis based on written prompts.
Technically, it doesn’t allow you to create flags, but Solid Lines has discovered a simple prompt to help you bypass the rejected Unicode emoji request.
“For Solid Lines, it’s not only symbolic value but drives awareness of Aboriginal history and our contributions,” he said.
“And, while we would have appreciated an official Unicode flag, it does not deter from the fact the public can get behind this and create their own to celebrate First Nations people.”
Art by Janelle Burger. Source: supplied
How to access the emoji
First thing’s first, you’ll need to make sure your iPhone is updated to iOS 18.2.
Then, if you open your keyboard and select the emoji icon, you’ll need to add a prompt.
These are Solid Lines’ suggestions:
- “A wavy black and red rectangle with a medium sized yellow circle in the middle”
- “A black and red rectangle with a medium sized yellow circle in the middle”
From there, users will need to swipe to select the correct flag and the emoji should load automatically to be used and shared.
On the off chance Genmoji doesn’t appear on your keyboard, it might be a matter of changing your settings. Simply go to your settings and check that “Apple Intelligence & Siri” is turned on.
What’s the history of this flag?
As January 26 approaches, it might be a good time for a quick recap.
The Aboriginal flag, which has become a symbol of Aboriginal Australia and holds special legal and political status worldwide, was designed and created by artist Harold Thomas. A Luritja man from Central Australia, he was a member of the Stolen Generations in 1970.
Design elements of the flag, which consists of a coloured rectangle divided in half horizontally, also hold significance.
The top half of the flag, which is black, is meant to symbolise Aboriginal people while the red in the lower half represents the earth and the colour of ochre, which holds ceremonial significance. The yellow circle at the centre of the flag represents the sun.
Run, don’t walk
The official flag emoji might still be off the table at Unicode, but I’d say this new workaround is still a pretty big step in ensuring First Nations people are represented in digital spaces.
So, what are you waiting for?
The post How To Create Your Own Aboriginal Flag Emoji Since It’s Not Technically Available appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
