Published 30 November 2022
Basseterre
Buckie Got It St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Longstanding Debate on the Official St. Kitts and Nevis Coat of Arms Ends
Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, November 30, 2022 [Press Secretary’s Office]: The St. Kitts and
Nevis National Archives has confirmed the official Coat of Arms for the Federation of St. Kitts and
Nevis.
The national symbol has gone through a series of transformation over the years which have
confused many nationals and non-nationals. However, this longstanding debate has finally ended.
The original image as displayed below has been enhanced and placed in high resolution to
accommodate various uses from large signage to letterheads. All government paraphernalia are
being changed to depict the approved national symbol.
The Coat of Arms was adopted in 1983 with the inscription of our country’s motto “Country Above
Self”. The center of the Coat of Arms is a shield with a lighter at the base of it in full sail. A red
chevron is depicted above it highlighted by two poinciana flowers, our national flower. At the top of
the shield is the head of a Carib, one of the first inhabitants on our twin-island nation, with a fleur-
de-lis and a rose on either side. The fleur-de-lis and the rose connote our country’s French and
English influences. A helmet topped with battlements of a flaming torch upheld by the hands of an
African, European, and the other of mixed descent. The torch signifies the struggle and quest for
freedom by a people of diverse ethnic origins united in purpose. Supporting the shield are our
nation’s national bird, the pelicans, with extended wings next to a sugar cane plant and a coconut
palm tree illustrating our fertile lands.
