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Coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago
Coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago
Armiger	Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
Adopted	1962; 63 years ago
Crest	In front of a palm tree proper a ship's wheel.
Shield	Per chevron enhanced sable and gules, a chevronel enhanced argent between in chief two hummingbirds respectant Or and in base three ships of the period of Christopher Columbus also Or, the sails set proper.
Supporters	A scarlet ibis and a cocrico, both proper and with wings elevated.
Compartment	Two islands arising from the sea.
Motto	"Together we aspire, together we achieve"

The coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago was designed by a committee formed in 1962 to select the symbols that would be representative of the people of Trinidad and Tobago. The committee included artist Carlisle Chang (1921–2001) and carnival designer George Bailey (1935–1970).^[2]^[3]

Design

The palm tree crest at the top of the coat of arms was taken from Tobago's coat of arms before it was joined in political union with Trinidad. The shield comprises the same colours (black, red, and white) as the nation's flag and carry the same meaning. The gold ships represent the three ships Christopher Columbus used on his voyage. The two birds on the shield are hummingbirds. Trinidad is sometimes referred to as the "Land of the Hummingbird" because 18 different species of hummingbird have been recorded on the island. "Land of the Hummingbird" is also believed to have been the Amerindian name for Trinidad. The two larger birds are the Scarlet Ibis (left) and the Cocrico (right), the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Below the Scarlet Ibis are three hills, representing the Trinity Hills in southern Trinidad, which, it is believed, convinced Columbus to name the island after the Holy Trinity. The island rising out of the waters beneath the Cocrico represents Tobago. Below these birds is the nation's motto, "Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve." It was designed by Carlyle Chang and George Bailey. ^[4]

Proposed revision

In August 2024, Prime Minister Keith Rowley announced at the annual convention of the People's National Movement that his government planned to remove Columbus's sailing ships from the coat of arms and replace them with the steelpan drum, the national musical instrument,^[5] as part of efforts to remove "colonial vestiges".^[6]

Historical

Emblem	Period of use	Notes
Colony of Trinidad and Tobago
	1889–1958	The badge of the crown-colony depicts the harbour of Port of Spain and mount El Tucuche with two Royal Navy frigate flying the white ensign and a boat with crew in the foreground. In base is the motto MISCERIQUE PROBAT POPULOS ET FOEDERA JUNGI, chosen by Sir Ralph Abercromby who captured Trinidad from the Spanish in 1797. The motto is quote from Virgil's Aeneid (Book IV, Line 112): ‘Miscerive probet populos, aut foedera iungi ’(He approved of the mingling of peoples and their being joined together by treaties).
	1958–1962	Placed on a heraldic shield with the motto on a ribbon, the badge of Trinidad was adopted by Letters patent of the 13 of October 1958 as the coat of arms of the colony. However the arms was not retained after Independence in 1962.

References

^ "The Coat of Arms". The Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
^ "Carlisle Chang (1921–2001)" Archived 2015-07-11 at the Wayback Machine, NALIS.
^ "Coat of Arms", The National Identity Guidelines of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Ministry of National Diversity and Social Integration, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago), p. 4.
^ Chang, Carlyle (1998). "Chinese in Trinidad Carnival". The Drama Review. 43 (3): 213–19. doi:10.1162/105420498760308571. JSTOR 1146692. S2CID 57571669.
^ "Rowley: Steelpan to replace Columbus' ships on Coat of Arms". Daily Express. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
^ "Trinidad is redrawing its coat of arms to remove Columbus' three famous ships". Associated Press. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.