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St Kitts and Nevis Coat of Arms

Last modified: 2024-10-05 by rob raeside
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Nevis flag image by Zoltan Horvath, 10 September 2024


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Coat of arms

St Kitts also adopted a new Coat of Arms in 1967. This is white with a red chevron, two Poinciana flowers, and a schooner. On a blue chief is the head of a Carib between a fleur-de-lys and an English rose. The supporters are two pelicans, holding a cocoa palm and a sugar cane, and the crest is a torch hold up by a white and a brown arm. The motto is Unity in Trinity.
Santiago Dotor, 24 Nov 1999, quoting from [c2b81], p.52

The centre of the coat of arms is dominated by a shield at the base in which there is a lighter in full sail (one of the traditional means of transportation). A red chevron is highlighted by two poinciana flowers.

At the top of the shield is a Carib's head, flanked by a fleur-de-lis and a rose. The Caribs were the early inhabitants of the islands, and the fleur-de-lis and rose signify the islands' English and French influences. A helmet topped with the battlements of a tower appears with a flaming torch upheld by three hands: one black, one white, and one mixed. The torch signifies the struggle and quest for freedom by a people of diverse ethnic origins, but united in purpose.

The shield is supported on either side by pelicans (the country's national bird), with wings extended, displaying a sugar cane plant and the coconut palm tree, which are extensively cultivated throughout Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The coat of arms was adopted in 1983 and possesses the motto "Country Above Self".
Dov Gutterman, 24 Jun 1999, quoting from stkittsnevis.net