The Kanak independence flag includes trois horizontal bands (blue, red and green from top to bottom) and a yellow disc in the center of which is the stylized ridge beam of a traditional Kanak hut pierced with a conch locally called 'toutoute'. The green symbolizes the earth, the ancestors and hope ; the red the blood shed in the struggle and the unity of the people ; the blue the sky and the Pacific Ocean. As for the yellow disc, it represents the sun.