Massachusetts Still Can’t Agree on New State Seal and Motto

The drama surrounding the Massachusetts state seal and motto continues to build as some three years have passed, and a special commission appointed to recommend a replacement for the Native American man who has graced the seal for hundreds of years can't come up with anything better.

The 19-member Special Commission on Official Seal and Motto of the Commonwealth, co-chaired by New Bedford State Rep. Tony Cabral, will hand off its unfinished business to someone else to complete.

It seems Secretary of State Bill Galvin will inherit some of the load, perhaps including a decision about what a new state seal and motto might look like. Changes would require legislative approval.

The state seal portrays an Indigenous man on a shield. The crest above it, which is also the state's military crest, features an arm holding a sword. The sword over the Native American's head seems to be at the heart of the discussion about the need for a new seal and motto.

A rough translation of the motto from Latin reads, "By the sword, we seek peace, but peace only under liberty."

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State House News Service reported proposals for a new seal design have included the eastern white pine or elm tree and the cranberry. Other suggestions include the chickadee, cod, a feather or the turkey.

The ocean, hills, shoreline and the shape of the Commonwealth have also been suggested but have fallen flat.

SHNS reported Cabral believes the Commisson, now disbanded, did "awesome work" without "really offending anybody."

According to SHNS, Jim Peters, a member of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and executive director of the state Indian Affairs Commission, has suggested that the matter could be easily resolved by removing the sword rather than changing all the flags in the Commonwealth.

Ya think?