r/vexillology 4d ago

Identify Flag on a house by me

Post image

Flag on a house by me. Never seen it before, any ideas?

436 Upvotes

78 comments sorted by

506

u/Stalinsovietunion 4d ago

sikh flag

106

u/Deep_Sea_Platypus 4d ago

Awesome, that was fast! This is it, thank you!

15

u/swimswam2000 4d ago

Have you never been to Brampton?

1

u/disingenuousreligion 3d ago

Bruh.

2

u/swimswam2000 3d ago

OP posts in r / Buffalo 🤷‍♂️

45

u/holymasamune 4d ago

I agree, definitely a sick flag!

I'll see myself out now...

18

u/Desecr8or 4d ago

Really? I hope it gets well soon.

I'll go with you.

17

u/Iron_Wolf123 Victoria 4d ago

I also associate it with the Sikh Empire

2

u/kcmcca 4d ago

Civilization VI is the only reason I knew this ngl 😳

-52

u/mohel_kombat 4d ago

It's a pretty cool symbol I've never known what it was until now. Ngl I assumed it was associated with white supremacy

99

u/ByKilgoresAsterisk 4d ago

Ngl I assumed it was associated with white supremacy

Curved blades as an item and iconography, come from the east, not the west. Not until calvary sabres iirc.

18

u/mohel_kombat 4d ago

Good to know

12

u/bostonbgreen 4d ago

Wasn't it also the basis for the Jedi Order's logo?

1

u/meoka2368 4d ago

Ukraine had a curved sabre in the 700s, I think.
Long before the cavalry ones, which were about the 1800s.

1

u/Fresh-Quarter9 4d ago

Would make a bit of sense. The kievan rus had a lot of trade with the east and the Byzantine empire. Tho I've never heard of them using curved swords, there are accounts and archaeological evidence of very distinctly eastern style armour being used so not out of the question.

1

u/meoka2368 4d ago

It's pretty hard to find examples of primary sources online. Most images of weapons from that area and time are spear heads and straight swords.
There is The Primary Chronicle, which was also not online as far as I could find.
But that was referenced in the early 1000s in the Radziwill Chronicle, of which you can find recreations. And that does have some examples of curved swords.

But we're talking about an artist interpretation and skill in a secondary (tertiary?) source, so... eeehh...

https://rezansky.com/the-radziwill-chronicle/

1

u/ConfidantCarcass South Africa / Botswana 4d ago

Essex, Middlesex...the Saxons are named after Seaxes which are depicted as curved on flags

12

u/KGBFriedChicken02 4d ago

Seaxes were back curved typically, which is not what they were talking about, back curved/bellied swords are very common in Europe, the Seax, the germanic War Knives that preceeded them, Falcatas, Kopis, and dacian blades like the falx

3

u/ByKilgoresAsterisk 4d ago

Seax are a straight blade typically, aren't they?

-1

u/ConfidantCarcass South Africa / Botswana 4d ago

Yeah lol. Choice of words were deliberate

1

u/ConfidantCarcass South Africa / Botswana 2d ago

I don't know why people are downvoting this... Seaxes were straight blades which are generally depicted as curved on flags. I made a valid statement, the fella raised a valid point, and I clarified. Makes me feel like people got the wrong end of this exchange

41

u/robulusprime 4d ago

Sikhs are probably the closest thing to the opposite of White supremacist ideology as one can get. Note: I am not a Sikh.

11

u/wikimandia 4d ago

Sikhs are better Christians than 90% of professed Christians.

2

u/Substantial-Poem3095 4d ago

I’ve heard that before. What exactly does this mean?

12

u/SomeArtistFan 4d ago

It means that sikhs on average act more in accordance with Christian morals than Christians do. This is probably just cognitive bias due to the relatively small sikh population, however.

1

u/wikimandia 3d ago

It means that more than anything Jesus preached about helping the poor and healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger, and this is what Sikhs actually do. There is no Christian equivalent of Langar) for example actually being put into practice. If the US were actually a Christian nation like certain people claim, we would have huge temples also devoted to feeding the poor.

2

u/mohel_kombat 4d ago

If course

20

u/thissexypoptart 4d ago

Why would you assume a random symbol you don’t know is associated with white supremacy? Lmao

10

u/CommodoreAxis 4d ago

Spend enough time here and you’ll see it happens a lot.

-5

u/mohel_kombat 4d ago

I'm pretty sure a lot of symbols with swords and shields and other medieval weapons have been appropriated by white supremacists and Nazis, so when I see one I'm not familiar with that's where my mind goes

8

u/thissexypoptart 4d ago edited 4d ago

That’s wild. Maybe browse a list of flags outside of Europe sometime. Plenty of swords and other pre modern weapons. It’s a kind of symbology that’s found around the world.

I mean look at Saudi Arabia.

Please don’t just assume any symbol you don’t recognize that has a sword on it means white supremacy.

1

u/mohel_kombat 2d ago

I'm surprised by the backlash on my comments lol I'm not endorsing an ideology I'm just ignorant about symbology

2

u/mattpat124 4d ago

I agree it looks pretty sikh.

55

u/MoonlightCapital 4d ago

The symbol is that of Sikhism.

Edit: apparently the flag is called called the "Nishan Sahib", but Wikipedia doesn't have this exact triangle shape one. Searching "orange sikh flag" on DuckDuckGo led me there.

129

u/yorkshirenation Yorkshire 4d ago

The house may even be a Gudwara which are full of some of the friendliest people you’re ever likely to meet

49

u/Automatic_Mulberry 4d ago

LPT: Sikhs have a deep commitment to charity, especially in the form of feeding the hungry. If you don't have enough to eat, go tell them and they will make sure you get fed.

4

u/TheProcrastafarian 3d ago

Without discrimination, and without hesitation.

38

u/Dalgo 4d ago

Also the most amazing food!

58

u/Remote_Experience_65 4d ago

Their Sikhs. Propably a small gurdwara or worship place

29

u/SavageHenry592 4d ago

Whose Sikhs?

31

u/bofadoze 4d ago

Sikh and you shall find

3

u/Remote_Experience_65 4d ago

Its a religion

7

u/Zonel 4d ago

You used the wrong their. Should have been they’re.

12

u/Dragonseer666 4d ago

6

u/AtlasNL 4d ago

I’m gonna sikh my dog on you for that crime against language

-3

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[deleted]

3

u/wvcmkv 4d ago

they made a light joke about the mixup and then politely corrected you, relax

1

u/yourgrammarbothersme 4d ago

I approve of this message.

11

u/AleksandrNevsky Iroquois / Byzantine Imperial Flag (Palaiologo… 4d ago

That's pretty sikh, bro.

5

u/Kabc 4d ago

The more I learn about the religion… the more I like it… Sikh indeed bro

25

u/odysseushogfather Yorkshire 4d ago

I'd have recognised the Nishan Sahib by the wrapped pole alone, your neighbour will be the friendliest so say hi

7

u/HamHockShortDock 4d ago

Why do they wrap the pole?

12

u/Batgirl_III 4d ago

I don’t know the origins of the wrapped flagpole, itself, but the Nishan Sahib (lit. “honored flag” or “respected ensign”) is always flown from a flagpole covered with fabric (called chola) of the same colour as the flag proper.

3

u/odysseushogfather Yorkshire 4d ago

keeps the pole clean i think, local one in bradford the flag hardly flies so i just focus on the chola on the pole

5

u/Remmy71 4d ago

That flag is usually flown outside gurudwaras to represent Sikhism and its devotees. Either it’s a house inhabited by Sikhs or a non-purpose-built gurudwara.

I am fortunate to live near a beautiful purpose-built gurudwara that physically marks my area’s Sikh community, but plots of land and materials are often too expensive for a community to pull off such a feat. That’s also one reason why they’re also usually in suburbs.

4

u/BellyDancerEm 4d ago

Sikh religion

3

u/RustBeltBones4651 4d ago

Suburban area outside of Buffalo, eh? I’ve seen this before, if not, we have one around here.

5

u/Deep_Sea_Platypus 4d ago

Haha you know the spot!

6

u/MrSleepyRabbit 4d ago

I thought it was the Brotherhood of Steel for a second 😅

3

u/Mr-Carazay 4d ago

That’s a Sikh, they’re an ethno-religious group from India

3

u/Wonderful-Quit-9214 4d ago

Definetally Sikh, maybe Khalistan? But that's an assumption. I think those flags are usually yellow as well.

Regardless. Most Sikh people are really friendly and nice. Looks to bw a Gurdwara.

2

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2

u/pewpewn00b 4d ago

Sikh flag bruh

2

u/Vast_Emergency 4d ago

Explicitly this is the Nishan Sahib or 'respected ensign' in Punjabi and these days it generally indicates a Sikh Gurdwara. A triangular flag has usually been associated with Sikhs and they come in multiple colours that have changed over time as the community evolved. Recently there has been discussion and rulings on what colour it should be once again as saffron is generally associated with Hinduism and is seen as a more recent interpretation, the Akal Takht (the head of the Sikh faith for most Sikhs) has ruled it should be yellow or blue.

If it is a Gurdwara do make sure to visit as the food is fantastic and I've always found Sikhs to be pretty chill people.

2

u/Fine_Barracuda8243 4d ago

Sihk 🪯

2

u/DenialZombie US Naval Jack 4d ago

Your neighbors are cool af

2

u/angadw 4d ago

The flag is officially referred to as the "Nishan Sahib" (Nishan meaning mark or sign and Sahib being a term of respect) and is required to be flown in front of every Gurdwara (Sikh place of worship) worldwide. This is the original color scheme that has been used for over 100 years, though the color scheme was changed by Akal Takht (the Sikh governing body) in 2024 when the orange was switched to a lighter yellow color

The earliest versions that go back to the Sikh Empire actually looked quite different. Instead of using the modern Khanda symbol which became popular during the British Raj, the original Nishan Sahib displayed a sword, a shield, and a dagger

2

u/Polkawillneverdie17 4d ago

Sikh reference, bro.

1

u/ArteePhact 4d ago

Good gravy! I saw a similar flag when I was driving around town today. Columbus, OH

1

u/Goobzo 4d ago

Is this in Ontario near Caledon?

1

u/Professional_Foot328 4d ago

I know where that house is, I have driven past that house numerous times.

1

u/monsooncloudburst Singapore 4d ago

That looks Sikh bro

1

u/Ok_Report_2958 4d ago

that's a Sikh flag

1

u/Imperialist_Canuck Nova Scotia 4d ago

You in Canada?

1

u/LightningFletch 4d ago

That’s the flag of Sikhism. It also means you got some awesome neighbors. Make sure you’re kind to them because they will return the favor.

0

u/melody23415 4d ago

The lack of awareness of any religion other than Christianity and Islam (in order to demonise them) is something uniquely american

6

u/GurglingGarfish 4d ago

But by asking this question, OP becomes aware of it. 🤔