FLAG, SEAL AND TARTAN:
The basis of the flag are three bars of the same width.
From top to bottom their colours are white, green and black. These match
the most important colours in the coat of arms. Close
to the pole to which the flag is attached, about one third along the width
of the flag, we find the bear
from the escutcheon. Here the colour of the bear is gold, like the sun which
brings light and life. At the same time the bear seems to be fighting the
pole as a symbol of its struggle for freedom and independence.
The main elements of the coat of arms not only reappear
in the flag but also in the seal and the tartan of the Barnard family:
Even though bears occur in Europe, unlike lions, the
latter are much more common in vexillological representations. Still, bears
are featuring in the flags of the Swiss cantons Appenzell (Inner-Rhoden
and Ausser-Rhoden) as well as in the flag of the American state of California.
