North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is an American and Canadian membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. NAVA was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith and others. The association is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations and is among the largest vexillological organizations. NAVA is headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts. Smith later relocated the organization’s headquarters to his home state of Missouri; since then, it has been based in San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and Alexandria, Virginia.
The association is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations and counts one-and-a-half dozen countries among its members, including the United States and Canada.
History
The North American Vexillological Association is the leading non-profit organization devoted to scholarly research on flags, with over 1,500 members from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Association was founded in 1967 by Whitney Smith and others as a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations. Since then it has been based in San Francisco, California; Austin, Texas; and Alexandria, Virginia. The current president is John Minshall.
Flag collecting was once considered a dry subject for only serious scholars who collected or studied flags as part of their profession but interest in flags has increased dramatically since September 11th 2001 when many people were looking for ways to express patriotism while at the same time finding ways to show that they were not afraid after a terrorist attack on America. NAVA’s membership includes collectors who specialize in all types of flags including those that are rare or hard to find such as military standards used by Native Americans before European contact.
Flag of North American Vexillological Association
The North American Vexillological Association flag was designed by Ted Kaye in 1967. NAVA consists of a horizontal triband of blue, white and blue. The flag proportion is 2:3.
The symbolism of this flag is as follows:
- The “V” represents vexillology.
- The colours are from the flags of the two countries in the association: Canada and the United States.
Membership
Membership is open to anyone interested in vexillology. There are no membership fees, so you can join without spending a dime.
Conclusion
The North American Vexillological Association is an American and Canadian membership organization devoted to vexillology, the scientific and scholarly study of flags. Nava was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith and others. The association is a charter member of the International Federation of Vexillological Associations and is among the largest vexillological organizations.
