Last modified: 2003-01-25 by antonio martins
Keywords: bashkortostan | bashkiria | party | kurai | pleurospermum uralense | seven | error |
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![[Flag of Bashkiria]](../images/r/ru-ba.gif)
(Note: You need an Unicode-aware software and font to correctely view the cyrillic text on this page. See here transliteration details).
On 25 February 1992 the local Soviet approved another
flag [different from the 1990 proposal
— ed.], with the same colors in a different order (skyblue
- white - green) and a golden flower in a white circle. The
flower is called kurai,
the Bashkor rose, which grows only in that region and it
is used to make musical instruments. It has seven petals
for the seven tribes.
Giuseppe Bottasini, quoting
[zig94]
The only source I could find supporting light blue is
[zig94], possibly mistaken
or outdated. All other sources, including the flag law,
state simply blue.
António Martins, 20 May 2000
The green is dark green, close to the color of
Adygeja, although the law
only describes "green". The emblem is in gold lines
and has complete measures given in the law.
Ralf Stelter, 25 Jul 1999 and 27 Jul 1999
The flower in the center of the flag is a traditional Bashkir flower called
"Kurai"
and is regarded here as a symbol of friendship. Its seven petals
on the flag represent the original seven tribes (families) who laid foundation
for consolidating the peoples of Bashkortostan on its territory.
Rafael Zinurov (Head of the Department of Inter-Ethnic
Relations and International Contacts of the Supreme Soviet
of the Bashkortostan Republic), 1992, quoted by Chrystian Kretowicz,
17 Feb 2002
From the Soviet Encyclopedia, volume 24 page 78 (my translation):
Kurai is an excellent feed for camels and other livestock in the spring. Is used also as a winter feed, stored in silos. Ground into flour, kurai can be used in multi-feeds. Contains 5 % of proteins. In some places, kurai is used for fuel. Ashes contain high quality salts and are used often for manufacturing of crude soaps.The article above this one describes kurai as a Bashkir national musical instrument, sort of flute.
"Kurai" is the Bashkir name while the Latin name of the plant is
Pleurospermum uralense Hoffm. Unfortunately English name is unknown to
me. This plant is rather common in the area I am from and still used for making
a national music instrument which sounds very nice.
Irina Teplova (bashkir biologist), 2001,
quoted by Marcus Schmöger, 31 Jan 2002
The plant in the Bashkir flag always resembled an Apiaceae plant to me.
This family (also known as Umbelliferae) contains, inter alia, such well-known
plants as carrot or caraway. They are not closely related either to
Salsola kali (Chenopodiaceae) or
Phragmites communis (Poaceae, grass family).
Marcus Schmöger, 31 Jan 2002
A related species, Pleurospermum austriacum, can be found in Austria.
Here’s an image of its inflorescence
(flowers).
Marcus Schmöger, 31 Jan 2002
Aldo Ziggiotto, on his 1994 book [zig94]
says the «flower is called kurai (Phragmites communis Trin.)»
I always doubted it, actually (being a biologist), as Phragmites
communis is a very common plant (reed) all over Europe and beyond, and
definitely not growing only in Bashkiria. Furthermore the flower on the flag
doesn’t look like the flower of Phragmites.
Marcus Schmöger, 31 Jan 2002
I came across the article by Smith [smi92o].
He writes: «This reed, which grows only in Bashkortostan». While
Ziggioto [zig94] writes: «è quello di una
canna scientificamente chiamata Phragmites communis».
I suspect, that an ambiguity in Smith’s text together with a translation
ambiguity led to the "Phragmites communis". The term "reed" is not
really appropriate in this context, as in a strict sense it means indeed
Phragmites communis, and similar plants, i.e. tall grasses, but never
a tall plant belonging to the Apiaceae (carrot family). So a first mistake
was made by Smith. If you translate "reed" into Italian, you come up with
"canna". However, this term seems to have a broader sense, including
sugar-cane and (walking) cane. Ziggioto obviously took the "reed" in Smith’s
text very literally, as the most common "reed" is "Phragmites communis".
This is only speculation on my part; I don't know, if it wasn't perhaps the
other way round: Ziggioto had some (wrong) information, that he gave to Smith
first and then used in his own article. Smith, uneasy about "Phragmites
communis", just left this part out, and only used the term "reed".
Marcus Schmöger, 17 Feb 2002
Alfred Znamierowski, in [zna99], claims the
flower is Salsola kali, which is even weirder.
Marcus Schmöger, 31 Jan 2002
That comes most likely from the Soviet Encyclopedia, volume 24 page 78 (my translation):
KURAI - name of several semi-desert and desert plants of the saline genre (Salsola ruthenica, Salsola kali) and of camel-like genre (Corispermum). It belongs to the ground-cover (crawling) group.Chrystian Kretowicz, 17 Feb 2002
![[Rejected proposal for the flag of Bashkiria]](../images/r/ru-ba!9x.gif)
This picture shows the proposal never adopted.
Ralf Stelter, 27 Jul 1999
![[1990 flag of Bashkiria]](../images/r/ru-ba_90.gif)
A first flag appeared on 11 October 1990: it was the one of Bashkor
Popular Party, with three horizontal strips: skyblue (for Turkish people),
green (Islam) and white (purity).
Giuseppe Bottasini, quoting
[zig94]
![[1990 flag of Bashkiria]](../images/r/ru-ba_a.gif)
This flag, with medium blue and voided stamens,
is listed under number 119 at the chart Flags
of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as:
«Bashkortostan (Bashkirs) - West Siberia».
Ivan Sache, 15 Sep 1999
Would this have any thing to do with the (doubtful, reported)
unofficial flag of neighbouring Chelyabinsk
region in 1992-1993?...
António Martins, 11 Oct 2002
