Introduction
The flag of American Samoa is a red-edged white triangle pointing toward the hoist, with dark blue above and below it, charged with a bald eagle holding a war club and a fly whisk.
Meaning & Symbolism
The eagle and the red, white and blue are the United States. The two objects it holds are Samoan: the uatogi, a war club, and the fue, a fly whisk, and both are emblems of Samoan chiefs, the first standing for the power of the state and the second for the wisdom of the talking chiefs.
That the American eagle holds Samoan symbols rather than arrows is the whole point of the design.
History of the American Samoa Flag
Until 1960 the territory flew the Stars and Stripes and nothing of its own. The present flag was adopted in April 1960.
The colours were chosen to be the traditional colours of both the United States and Samoa at once, which they happen to share.
Curiosities
- The eagle holds a Samoan war club and fly whisk instead of the usual arrows and olive branch.
- Both objects are emblems of Samoan chiefly authority, not of the United States.
- Until 1960 the territory simply flew the Stars and Stripes.
- Red, white and blue are traditional colours in Samoa as well as in America, which is why the flag works for both.
- The triangle points toward the hoist, which is unusual: most such flags point toward the fly.
Download Flag
Download the flag of American Samoa in high-quality SVG vector format or PNG raster images. SVG files can be scaled to any size without losing quality.
Digital icon artwork; its proportions may differ from the official flag proportions listed on this page.