Michigan adopted its state flag in 1911. Depicted on the
shield is a lake with a yellow sun rising over blue waters. On the Michigan state flag,
a man is standing on a peninsula with one hand raised in a greeting of friendship and
the other hand holding a rifle. An Elk and a Moose support the shield between them and a
Bald Eagle grasping an Olive Branch and arrows in its talon is shown above the shield.
Three mottos are shown on the coat of arms: "E Pluribus Unum (From many, One), "Tuebor
(I will defend), and "Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice (If you seek a pleasant
Peninsula, look about you)." The Bald Eagle on the Michigan state flag represents the US
and the Elk and Moose represent the state of Michigan.
