Make your case for the present coat of arms.

Vahe H. Apelian

Courtesy Garo Konyalian

Two chance encounter readings prompted me to drop this blog.

First, yesterday, June 20, was the day in 1782 when the U.S. adopted its great seal or coat of arms, portraying the eagle clenching war material by the one of its pair of talons and with the other olive branches. The report said that “It had taken six years, three committees, and the work of 14 men,” to design it.

The other was a report I read in “EVN reports” written on May 28, 2018 by Arpine Haroyan, where she noted the following: “Simon Vratsian recalls that authorizing the coat of arms was very difficult. Some people were against the idea and spirit of the coat of arms arguing that it resembled the old and knightly ideas of past centuries and did not symbolize the new Armenia. Others felt that the design was more representative of a monarchy. However, the government had to make a decision on the final design because the country was facing numerous issues and there was no time for debates on aesthetics.”

What I am to note is not in defense of the PM of Armenia, but as a statement of my indignation and my revulsion of the defensive posturing I see in our social media and even in our press. Instead of impressing by the brilliance of their arguments, the tendency is to silence by raising voice and taking cover, in the “I am – or we are - offended” prevailing posture and denigrating or disparaging the other person.

Let me state that the present coat of arms of Armenia has nothing to do with the coat of arms of the first republic. First and foremost, this coat of arms has infringed on the good work of very prominent Armenians, Alexander Tamanyan, the great architect of the city of Yerevan,  along with other cities; and painter Hakob Kojoyan.

These two prominent Armenians were the ones who designed the coat of arms of the first republic. It is morally reprehensible to infringe on the works of the deceased and then turn and claim that in fact what the deceased designed and what the living re-designed, are one and the same in portraying the spirit of the nascent republic Armenia in 1918, when the government of first republic, that had come about after Armenians were stateless for centuries, accepted the design as its great seal after hearty debate.

The coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia has nothing to do with the ARF. Armenian history has carved the prominent role the ARF played in shaping our modern history. The ARF has its own seal. But in spite of it the ARF for 70 years kept the coat of arms of the first republic on its letter head and when on April 19, 1992, the Armenian Supreme Council adopted the first republic’s coat of arms, the ARF bureau issued a circular to have the coat of arms removed from its letterheads because its rightful owner, the republic of Armenia, has reclaimed it.  I remember the reading of that circular very well. It was during a NJ ARF meeting in the St. Vartanants church hall. I was moved when I heard that circular read for history was being made. Although I am not sure the rest of the attendees grasped the enormity of the moment. But it never occurred to me that the coat of arms will be redesigned and the redesign will be approved as prescribed by the constitution.

After accepting the new design for the past thirty plus years, I too wonder now but not push it as much as the PM did. Why should the Republic of Armenia keep this coat of arms whose beasts are emasculated and  gutted of their instincts to roam fee and wild, the talons of the eagle do not clench what appears to be stalks of wheat, the paws of the lion do not tear apart a chain, and there is no sword? I do not think that Alexander Tamanyan and Hakob Kojoyan had aggression toward others in mind when they designed the coat of arms and would have agreed to such a change of design. I believe they wanted to portray animalistic safeguarding of the nascent republic. They were not ARF-ers. They simply were good Armenians. They continued their services to the Armenian people and passed away as citizens of the Soviet Armenia.

To those who may read this blog. Make your case for retaining the present coat of arms of the Republic of Armenia.