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Susan Karike

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Woman of Papua New Guinea
Susan Karike
BornSusan Hareho Karike
c. 1956
Mei'i, Gulf District, Territory of Papua and New Guinea
Died11 April 2017(2017-04-11) (aged 60–61)
Port Moresby General Hospital
Korobosea, Papua New Guinea
CitizenshipPapua New Guinea
Known forDesigning the flag of Papua New Guinea

Susan Hareho Karike Huhume (c. 1956–11 April 2017) was a Papua New Guinean housewife, who, as a schoolgirl, designed the colours of her country's national flag.

Karike married Nanny Huhume and they had four children and twelve grandchildren. She died in April 2017 following a stroke and was buried on 28 July 2017.

Background

In 1971, when Karike was aged 15, her school, the Catholic Mission School at Yule Island in Central Province was visited by the Selection Committee on Constitutional Development on 12 February. The committee already had a preliminary design for a new flag for Papua New Guinea, which had been designed by an Australian artist, Hal Holman. Nevertheless, they asked students to create a new colour palette for the flag. Karike did not believe the original colours of blue, yellow and green were traditional enough, nor did she like the vertical stripes that the flag was split into. She used a diagonal line and the colours red, black and yellow, as well as keeping the motifs of the Southern Cross and the bird of paradise. The new design for the flag was drawn in a page torn from her exercise book. It was presented to the committee on 1 March 1971 and was formally adopted as the flag of Papua New Guinea on 4 March 1971.

Awards and recognition

In 2017, the Papua New Guinea National Museum & Art Gallery was redeveloped and a new gallery was named after Karike.

Despite designing the colours of the national flag, Karike's achievement went largely unrecognised during her lifetime. She received no pension from the government and lived in poverty. The three-month delay between her death and her burial was due to the fact that the Prime Minister's office had promised her family that she would have a state funeral, yet rescinded on this promise.

Gallery

References

  1. ^ MARIORI, BRADLEY (17 September 2019). "National flag still belongs to Susan, husband says". Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  2. ^ "PNG's National flag designer passes on". One Papua New Guinea. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Susan Karike Gallery". Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Tribute for woman who designed PNG flag". RNZ. 13 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Papua New Guinea Association – Origin for the Crest and Flag". www.pngaa.net. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  6. Crossette, Barbara; Times, Special To the New York (10 May 1986). "THE TALK OF PORT MORESBY; THE QUEEN, BETSY ROSS AND PAPUA NEW GUINEA". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  7. LAVARI, LEMACH (21 April 2017). "Designers of our symbol of unity". Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  8. "Tribute for woman who designed PNG's flag". Cook Islands News. 18 August 2020. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  9. Orere, Barnabas. "Paying Tribute To The Designer Of The Papua New Guinea Flag, Susan Karike". Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  10. "Tribute to Susan Karike". Post Courier. 12 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  11. "Flag designer Susan Karike abandoned by Government". Post Courier. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
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