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Levite’s Leaven #6
Lost Stories of Oklahoma: Shibboleth
from August 2006, Metro Family Magazine
My father always said that if my sister and I were reading books that didn’t require a trip to the
dictionary from time to time, we were reading below our level. So I’m hoping that the word shibboleth made you want to grab a dictionary. But to save you the trouble, I’ll tell you that
shibboleth means motto. Oklahoma’s official shibboleth is Labor Omnia Vincit, which, if your Latin is a bit rusty, translates to “Labor Conquers All Things.” This motto appears on our state seal and flag.
Oklahoma’s official state seal became the center of exciting events in 1910. At that time, the
Logan Country courthouse in Guthrie served as the state capitol building—a fact that disturbed many citizens of Oklahoma City who wanted the capitol in their town. Finally, a state vote of
the people settled the argument and even though it was in the middle of the night, as soon as Governor Charles N. Haskell learned Oklahoma City had won, he moved himself, the state seal,
and state documents to a hotel in Oklahoma City. When Oklahomans woke up on Sunday morning, June 12, 1910, they had a new state capitol.
A replica of the state seal is inlaid in the marble floor of the present capitol building in Oklahoma
City. It displays a mini-summary of the state’s early heritage. A five-pointed star at the center of the seal represents Oklahoma’s five Indian nations. The words “Great Seal of the State of
Oklahoma—1907” circle the outer edge.
The top ray of the seal’s star represents the Chickasaw nation. Moving clockwise are the
Choctaw, Seminole, Creek, and Cherokee nations. Each ray contains symbols from seals of the Indian nation it represents. Beneath the shibboleth at the center of the star, an Indian and a
pioneer shake hands under a figure holding balanced scales which represent the justice to be found here. Grouped between the center rays are 45 small stars (nine between each ray). The
small stars represent the 45 states admitted to the Union before Oklahoma. Placement of the large center star is such that one ray points up, but no ray points down. The symbolic meaning
of this is that this union shall result only in good, never in evil.
The Oklahoma state flag we now use became official in 1925 and, once again, the state’s Indian
heritage was emphasized. The circular buckskin shield of an Osage warrior rests on a field of blue, and seven feathers hang along the bottom of the shield. The shield represents defensive
or protective warfare, when justified. Blue signifies loyalty and devotion. On the face of the shield is a Native American calumet (pipe of peace) crossed with the olive branch of the white
man to symbolize the love of peace by a united people. Six small crosses on the shield signify stars, representing high ideals.
Molly Levite-Griffis was born in Apache, Oklahoma, the setting for four of her seven award-winning books. Her newest book, Simon Says (Eakin Press, $22.95), received the
“Oklahoma Book Award” in the Young Adults category by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Look for it in bookstores now. The mother of two grown children, she is a graduate of the
University of Oklahoma and lives in Norman, Oklahoma. Visit her online at www.MollyGriffis.com .
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