Last modified: 2025-04-05 by olivier touzeau
Keywords: wallis and futuna | uvea | alo | sigave | france | canton on fly |
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In the French territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands, existed three kingdoms: Uvéa (in Wallis, the main island) and Alo and Sigave (in Futuna, in the Horn Group that includes Futuna, Alofi and some minor reefs). They became French protectorates in the mid-XIX century.
Jaume Ollé, 22 March 1998
According to the book L'Eglise catholique à Wallis-et-Futuna (1837-2004), by Georges Delbos,
CEPAC ed. 2004, 328 p. [online copy] p. 324 Annex #6, the flags of Alo and Sigave date from 1988:
"According to a Note from the Territorial Service of
Cultural Affairs dated February 27, 2001 -
Each Kingdom has its own flag: Wallis, Alo, and Sigave. The tricolor flag of the French Republic flies in front of the Royal Palace of Wallis, with that of Wallis flying next to it. The two administrative districts of Futuna each coincide with the chiefdom of Alo, on one side, and with the chiefdom of Sigave, on the other. Their respective flags date from 1988.
[...] In 1981, during a flag-raising, for the first time, at the same time as the French flag, it was unofficially raised to the right of the Royal Palace. Since then, by tacit agreement, the two flags, national [i.e. French tricolore] and Wallisian, have been flown side by side, facing the King's palace."
Olivier Touzeau, 28 March 2025
Since the adoption in the 19th century of the cross pattée (reported as a Marist symbol), it has remained a constant feature of Uvea's colors. Until the 1980s and the emergence of the flags of the Kingdoms of Futuna, this unique local symbol in the territory became, probably because there was no other, the only known flag that could be used to symbolize the whole of Wallis and Futuna. After the 1980s, and theadoption of the flags of Alo and Sigave, this vexillological preeminence of Wallis/Uvea could no longer be justified in the same way. A debate occurred in 2015 about the equal use of the thee kingdoms flags rather than the use of the flag of Uvéa to represent the whole territory. See this 2015 article in the local media La 1re: source.
"The Customary Council of the Kingdom of Sigave sent a letter to the Prefect. The Chiefdom expresses its 'absolute dissatisfaction' at not being listened to on issues such as land, marine, and underwater land. It also demands a 'rebalancing' between Wallis and Futuna. [...] The Saatula Soane Kaikilekofe (Customary Minister) explains in an interview: 'We have been using the word 'balancing' for years and years. And we realize that it doesn't really exist.' Futuna had requested a sub-prefect a few years ago. It obtained a delegate from the Prefect. It has elected representatives in the Territorial Assembly, but decisions are still made by majority vote in session in Wallis. The letter therefore demands a change in the rules enshrined in the 1961 statute, which ensures balance between the Territory's three stakeholders: the State, the three monarchies, and elected officials.
This divide between Wallis and Futuna is not new... Mika Tui, Deputy for Cultural Affairs and Wallisian historian, is not surprised. He recalls: 'There is already a precedent that touches on this separatist notion that Wallis and Futuna maintained. For example, regarding flags. At the time of the Festival of the Year 2000, it was a real struggle to get Futuna to admit that the archipelago had a single flag. Finally, Futuna threatened not to participate, and the Futuna flags flew throughout the Festival alongside that of Wallis!' "
In this report broadcast by the local public television channel, Wallis and Futuna 1re: source,
intended to popularize the history of the flag of Wallis and Futuna,
the logic is reversed and it is inferred that with the creation of the
flags of the kingdoms of Alo and Sigave, the flag of Wallis and Futuna
has once again become that of the kingdom of Uvea alone (sic!).
Transcription: " In the 1990s, the two kingdoms of Futuna created their own flag,
that of Wallis and Futuna, which thus became the flag of Uvea. This
flag is currently only adopted locally, since the official flag of
Wallis and Futuna is that of France."
Except in the airport, elsewhere within the Territory of Wallis and Futuna only the flags of the three kingdoms are visible, whether within their respective territories or within the Territorial Assembly.
Olivier Touzeau, 26 March 2025
Size and position of the French tricolor in the kingdoms flags
In the Kingdoms flags, the
French Tricolore in the upper hoist, fimbriated white, does not reach the edges of the flag.
In the Wallis-and-Futuna de facto flag, the French flag is in the canton (of varying size), touching the edges of the flag.
Olivier Touzeau, 26 March 2025
Incorrect representation with French Canton on the fly
After a look at the Wallis and Futuna website, [the kingdoms flags are presented with the French Canton on the fly].
Dov Gutterman, 27 March 1999
Well, I find the "fly canton" very strange. I saw a report about the islands and the canton was to the hoist (I did not pay attention to it, actually, but I would have noticed it, had it been to the fly).
Thanh-Tâm Lê, 28 March 1999
I e-mailed the webmaster a few months ago... it seems that he himself is unsure about these flags: when I asked him why the tricolours were in the fly quarter, he said he was probably wrong! So I would not credit this site of much vexillological accuracy.
Pierre Gay, 29 March 1999
I know around 30 variants of Wallis flags. For Alo at least three variants have been reported.
Jaume Ollé, 1 April 1999
The last issue of Franciae Vexilla shows an article from Lucien Philippe about flags of Wallis and Futuna. The flags of Sigave and Alo (in fact royal standards) have the French flag in the upper fly, fimbriated white and without touching the edges of the flag. It seems that the French flag is in the fly (without touching the edges) in all the royal standards and in the canton (touching the edges) in all the national flags in the islands. The flags were already published in Gaceta de Banderas some months ago, from the same vexillologist.
Jaume Ollé, 3 April 1999
The Tricolour canton appears near the hoist in this picture of the King of Uvéa and the Prefect of the Territory.
Pierre Gay, 12 May 1999
Jaume Ollé recently reported a paper in Franciae Vexilla about the kingdoms in Wallis et Futuna. Sigave and Alo royal standards were reported with French tricolour in sinister canton (at fly). The last release of Franciae Vexilla corrects the mistake and traces its source: the erroneous flags (mirrored) come from Australian stamps.
Ivan Sache, 2 June 1999
