Susan Karike

Susan Karike
Born
Susan Hareho Karike

c. 1956
Mei'i, Gulf District, Territory of Papua and New Guinea
Died11 April 2017(2017-04-11) (aged 60–61)
Port Moresby General Hospital
Korobosea, Papua New Guinea
CitizenshipPapua New Guinea
Known forDesigning the flag of Papua New Guinea

Susan Hareho Karike Huhume (c. 1956–11 April 2017) was a Papua New Guinean housewife, who, as a schoolgirl, designed the colours of her country's national flag.

Karike married Nanny Huhume and they had four children and twelve grandchildren.[1][2] She died in April 2017 following a stroke and was buried on 28 July 2017.[1][2]

Background

In 1971, when Karike was aged 15, her school, the Catholic Mission School at Yule Island in Central Province[3][4] was visited by the Selection Committee on Constitutional Development on 12 February.[3][5] The committee already had a preliminary design for a new flag for Papua New Guinea, which had been designed by an Australian artist, Hal Holman.[4] Nevertheless, they asked students to create a new colour palette for the flag.[3] Karike did not believe the original colours of blue, yellow and green were traditional enough,[6] nor did she like the vertical stripes that the flag was split into.[7] She used a diagonal line and the colours red, black and yellow, as well as keeping the motifs of the Southern Cross and the bird of paradise.[5] The new design for the flag was drawn in a page torn from her exercise book.[8] It was presented to the committee on 1 March 1971 and was formally adopted as the flag of Papua New Guinea on 4 March 1971.[5]

Awards and recognition

In 2017, the Papua New Guinea National Museum & Art Gallery was redeveloped and a new gallery was named after Karike.[3]

Despite designing the colours of the national flag, Karike's achievement went largely unrecognised during her lifetime.[9] She received no pension from the government and lived in poverty.[10] The three-month delay between her death and her burial was due to the fact that the Prime Minister's office had promised her family that she would have a state funeral, yet rescinded on this promise.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b MARIORI, BRADLEY (17 September 2019). "National flag still belongs to Susan, husband says".
  2. ^ a b "PNG's National flag designer passes on". One Papua New Guinea. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Susan Karike Gallery". Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Tribute for woman who designed PNG flag". RNZ. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c "Papua New Guinea Association – Origin for the Crest and Flag". www.pngaa.net. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  6. ^ Crossette, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (10 May 1986). "THE TALK OF PORT MORESBY; THE QUEEN, BETSY ROSS AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  7. ^ LAVARI, LEMACH (21 April 2017). "Designers of our symbol of unity".
  8. ^ "Tribute for woman who designed PNG's flag". Cook Islands News. 18 August 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  9. ^ Orere, Barnabas. "Paying Tribute To The Designer Of The Papua New Guinea Flag, Susan Karike".
  10. ^ "Tribute to Susan Karike". Post Courier. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Flag designer Susan Karike abandoned by Government". Post Courier. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2021.