Haitian Vodou flags developed in conjunction with Haiti’s culture and have their origins in the slave revolts that led to the country’s liberation from French rule in 1804, making it the first independent Black nation in the New World. Vodou flags have striking relationships with military and Catholic banners of the eighteenth century, but instead of coats of arms, they display a complex ecosystem of spirits, or Iwa. Historically, they were used in Vodou temples (hounfours) for ceremonial purposes, but in the mid-twentieth century, tourists traveling to the country began to collect them widely, which has led to the development of a second form made specifically for this purpose.