Do you know the story behind the Aboriginal flag?

You've seen it thousands of times. But do you know the story behind the Aboriginal flag?

Black, red and yellow. A flag so powerful and so instantly recognised that it's hard to imagine a time before it existed. But it does have a beginning — and a remarkable one.

It started with a man named Harold Thomas.

Harold Thomas is a Luritja man, born in Alice Springs — and a member of the Stolen Generations. Taken from his family at the age of seven. Despite that brutal start, he went on to win a scholarship to the South Australian School of Art, becoming the first Aboriginal person to graduate from an Australian art school.

Then, in 1971, he created something that would change the country.

Thomas first thought about the need for an Aboriginal symbol after attending a protest in 1970, where Aboriginal people were almost invisible in a crowd of mostly white supporters. They needed something of their own. Something that said — we are here.

He recalls the design coming to him fully formed, in a moment of inspiration. He chose the cloth himself at a store in Rundle Mall, Adelaide, and the first flag was sewn together by a colleague from the South Australian Museum.

It was first raised on 9 July 1971, at a land rights rally in Victoria Square in Adelaide, on what was then National Aborigines Day. The following year, in 1972, it became the flag of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. From there, it spread across the nation.

So what does it actually mean? Harold Thomas explained it simply.

Black represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. The yellow circle represents the sun — the giver of life and protector. And red represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremony, and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual connection to the land.

There's a beautiful detail most people miss. Thomas deliberately placed the black above the red — the reverse of what feels visually "normal." He wanted it to be a little unsettling. A flag that makes you stop and look. A flag that puts the people first.

Now, the story took a complicated turn. In 2019, a non-Indigenous company that held a licence to the flag began sending cease-and-desist letters to businesses using it — including Indigenous-owned companies and even AFL and NRL clubs. Aboriginal people were suddenly being told they couldn't use their own flag without permission.

That sparked a powerful grassroots movement — Free the Flag — led by Aboriginal community members who refused to accept it. And it worked.

In January 2022, the copyright was transferred to the Commonwealth, meaning the flag can now be used freely by all Australians on clothing, artwork, websites and more — without permission or fees — as long as it's presented respectfully. Harold Thomas retains his moral rights as the creator, and royalties now flow to NAIDOC, alongside a $100,000 annual scholarship in his name for Indigenous students.

From a moment of inspiration in 1971 to a symbol flown at homes, schools, sports grounds and rallies right across the country — the Aboriginal flag is more than just colours on cloth.

It's identity. It's resilience. It's pride. It's a people saying, loud and clear — we are here, we always have been, and we always will be.