View source for Coat of arms of Mali

{{EngvarB|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox coat of arms
|name             = Emblem of Mali
|image            = Coat of arms of Mali.svg
|image_width      = 250
|armiger          = [[Mali|Republic of Mali]]
|year_adopted     = 20 October 1973
|crest            = 
|torse            = 
|shield           = A light blue background: in the middle, the mosque of [[Djenné]], in gold colour; above the mosque, a [[vulture]] in gliding flight, in gold colour; below, the rising [[sun]], in gold colour; in front of the sun, two opposed bows bent by their arrow, in white colour; in the surround, the name of a country in French, "Republic of Mali" above and the National Motto below, in black capital letters.
|supporters       = 
|compartment      = 
|motto            = '''Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi''' <br> "One People, One Goal, One Faith"
|orders           = 
|other_elements   = 
|earlier_versions = 
|use              = 
}}

The '''emblem of Mali''' is a [[national emblem]] consisting of a circle [[Charge (heraldry)|charged]] with a bird at the top, a mosque in the centre flanked by two [[Bow and arrow|bows and arrows]], and the [[Sunrise|rising sun]] at the bottom.  Adopted thirteen years after the country gained independence, it has been the [[Seal (emblem)|seal]] of the Republic of [[Mali]] since 1973.  It is utilized on official documents as a [[coat of arms]].

==History==
[[File:Seal of Mali (1961-1982).svg|thumb|right|Seal of Mali from 1961 to 1973.]]
[[Mali]] gained independence in August 1960, when it separated from [[Senegal]] and became an independent country on its own, thus dissolving the short-lived [[Mali Federation]] that had unified the two nations.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=Kathleen M.|last=Baker|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|title=Mali – French West Africa|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/360071/Mali/279103/French-West-Africa|access-date=3 April 2014|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]}} {{subscription required}}</ref> A seal for Mali was designed soon afterwards, which is almost identical to the current seal save for the colour scheme.  It featured a red circle surrounded by a green border.<ref name=guide>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qM5XAAAAYAAJ&q=coat+of+arms+of+mali+Great+Mosque+of+Djenné|title=The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems: Volume 2|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]]|date=1 December 2009|last=Minahan|first=James|page=865|isbn=9780313345005}}</ref> The current seal was officially adopted 20 October 1973, under Ordinance no. 56 of the CMLN (Military Committee for National Liberation).<ref name=law>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_Fo-AQAAIAAJ&q=mali+october+20+1973|title=African Law Digest, Volume 9|publisher=African Law Center, Columbia University|year=1974|page=281}}</ref> It is utilized on official documents in place of a [[coat of arms]], a heraldic device that the country has never adopted.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O3UYAAAAIAAJ&q=coat+of+arms+of+mali|title=Flags through the ages and across the world|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|year=1975|last=Smith|first=Whitney|page=257|isbn=9780070590939|quote=Mali has never adopted a coat of arms.  lts seal, used on official papers, bears the national motto.}}</ref>

==Design==
===Symbolism===
The colours and objects on the seal carry cultural, political, and regional meanings.  The mosque depicted at the centre of the seal is the [[Great Mosque of Djenné]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B7qOAAAAMAAJ&q=coat+of+arms+of+mali+Great+Mosque+of+Djenné|title=Political Islam in West Africa: State-Society Relations Transformed|publisher=[[Lynne Rienner Publishers]]|year=2007|editor-last=Miles|editor-first=William F. S.|page=95|isbn=9781588265272}}</ref> It represents [[Islam]],<ref name=pics>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6HiWFwwFE5wC&q=coat+of+arms+of+mali|title=Mali in Pictures|publisher=[[Lerner Publications]]|year=1990|last=O'Toole|first=Thomas|page=33|isbn=9780822518693}}</ref> the country's majority religion—[[Islam in Senegal|practised]] by 94.8% of the population.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mali|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/mali/|access-date=4 April 2014|work=The World Factbook|publisher=[[CIA]]}}</ref> Featured above the structure is a bird – the species it belongs to is disputed.  Although the 1973 ordinance gives the description that it is a "legendary [[vulture]]" originating from Malian folklore,<ref name=guide/><ref name=law/> other sources claim it is actually a [[Columbidae|dove]] that symbolizes peace.{{sfn|Dorling Kindersley|2008|p=75}}<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UThoAAAAMAAJ&q=mali+coat+of+arms+dove|title=National heraldry of the world|publisher=[[Viking Press]]|year=1974|last=Briggs|first=Geoffrey|page=84|isbn=9780670504527}}</ref> The Djenné mosque is flanked by two [[Bow and arrow|bows and arrows]], with the [[Sunrise|rising sun]] pictured at the very bottom.<ref name=guide/><ref name=pics/>

===Similarities===
The country's [[motto]]—"One People, One Goal, One Faith" ({{Langx|fr|link=no|Un Peuple, Un But, Une Foi}})—is exactly the same as [[Senegal]]'s.  It is featured on [[Coat of arms of Senegal|that country's coat of arms]] as well.{{sfn|Dorling Kindersley|2008|p=76}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Coat of arms of the Mali Federation.svg|alt=|{{Center|Coat of arms of the Mali Federation (1959-1960)}}
File:Emblème des Forces Armées Maliennes (FAMa).svg|alt=|{{Center|Coat of arms of the Malian Armed Forces}}
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Flag of Mali]]

==References==
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite book|title=Complete Flags of the World|url=https://archive.org/details/completeflagsofw0000unse|url-access=registration|publisher=Dorling Kindersley Ltd.|date=2008|isbn=9780756641153|access-date=3 April 2014|ref={{harvid|Dorling Kindersley|2008}}}}
{{refend}}

{{Coat of arms of Africa}}
{{Portal bar|Mali|Heraldry}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coat Of Arms Of Mali}}
[[Category:National coats of arms|Mali]]
[[Category:National symbols of Mali]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with arrows|Mali]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with birds|Mali]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with buildings|Mali]]
[[Category:Coats of arms with sunrays|Mali]]
[[Category:National emblems with birds|Mali]]