Last modified: 2011-06-11 by ivan sache
Keywords: wallis and futuna | uvéa | 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).
Jaume Ollé, 8 December 1996
These 3 kingdoms are existing under permission of France.
Hans Eisenreich, 19 September 1997
The kingdoms of Alo and Sigave existed throughout the XIX century, and probably continued existing to date as local chieftainries. They became French protectorates in the mid-XIX century.
Jaume Ollé, 22 March 1998
The lack of merchant navy might be related to the strange legal situation of the archipelago. It is the only part of the French Republic where the French Constitution is surpassed by local traditional laws. According to these laws, there are no written property acts, and third parts can always claim what you "bought". This problem deter foreign investors and contribute to the sad economical situation of the archipelago. So I imagine that a ship owner would hesitate to "register" a ship in such an uncertain way.
Ivan Sache, 31 May 1999
After a look at the Wallis and Futuna website it seems that the FOTW GIFs are not correct. It also seems that the cross in Wallis flag is bigger than GIFfed.
Dov Gutterman, 27 March 1999
Well, I find the "fly canton" very strange. I saw a report about the islands and the cross on the Wallis flag was somewhere between the FOTW version and the one reported by Dov. But 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. On the other hand, the rest is really good and worth the visit (especially the
Wallisian languages page etc.).
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
