Native American On NYC's Flag Causes De Blasio Concern

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's official seal and flag deserves a second look over their antiquated and racial imagery, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio on Monday admitted the seal — which depicts a Native American man in a loin cloth and a white man holding a looped rope — has "from time to time" caused him pause.

The seal presents an unclear image and message for New Yorkers now, he said.

"It's the kind of thing a commission should look at carefully and decide if it still makes sense for the 21st century," he said.

De Blasio's comment came in a response to an admittedly "out of left field" question by Rich Lamb, a reporter with WCBS.

Lamb said questions arose while he looked at the seal while waiting for the mayor's news conference to begin.

"It's a man in pantaloons holding a rope with a loop at the end of it, presumably a trapper or something, and then on the other side of the windmill and a couple of barrels, you have a Native American who is holding a bow," Lamb said. "I'm just wondering whether you are or your commission or somebody is taking a look at that seal and wondering whether how relevant it is these days?"

The man in pantaloons is identified as Dexter, a sailor holding a plummet — a rope used to gauge the depth of water — according to the city's seal and flag website. The Native American man is identified as Sinister, "an Indian of Manhattan," the site states.

The seal forms the center of New York City's flag.

De Blasio recently formed a Commission on Racial Justice and Reconciliation. He didn't specify whether that group or another commission will look at the flag.