''Alis volat propriis'' is a

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

phrase used as the

motto A motto (derived from the Latin language, Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian language, Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a Sentence (linguistics), sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of a ...

of the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. The official English version of the motto is "She flies with her own wings" in keeping with the tradition of considering countries and territories to be feminine. However, because the feminine pronoun in the Latin sentences is often omitted and the verb form is not inflected for gender, the phrase could be translated with equal validity as " neflies with ne'sown wings", " eflies with isown wings", or " tflies with tsown wings". If macrons are used to indicate the long vowels (standard practice in Latin dictionaries and textbooks), then the phrase becomes ''Ālīs volat propriīs''. The motto was written in English by the judge Jesse Quinn Thornton, and its Latin translation was added to the Territorial Seal adopted by the

Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Represent ...

in 1854. The motto referred to the May 2, 1843, vote by

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...

settlers at the third Champoeg Meeting to form a

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...

independent of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

of 1861 to 1865 the motto on the state seal was changed to " The Union."Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. ''Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier''. Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 90, 136-40, 262. In 1957, the Oregon Legislature officially changed the motto to "The Union" reflecting conflicting views about slavery in Oregon's early days. In 1987, the legislature readopted the original motto, which it felt better reflected Oregon's independent spirit. The sponsors of the bill that changed the motto back to ''alis volat propriis'' included the

Oregon Secretary of State The secretary of state of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in the line of succession to the List of Governors of Oregon, governor. The duties of the offi ...

and later

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Barbara Roberts, President of the Oregon Senate Jason Boe, and Senate historian Cecil Edwards. In 1999, after a short debate in committee, the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

took a vote on HB 2269, which would revert the state motto to "The Union". The bill failed to pass on a 30-30 tie vote. The current Oregon State Seal, which appears on the obverse of the state flag, still features the motto "The Union."

In popular culture

Portland Thorns FC Portland Thorns FC is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL ...

, a member of the

National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...

, has adopted the motto and used it on their website and occasionally on merchandise. A trade paperback collection of

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

's '' Captain Marvel'' published in 2015 is titled ''Alis Volat Propriis''. The book's author, Kelly Sue DeConnick, is a resident of Oregon. In the third installment of the BioShock video game series, BioShock Infinite, the phrase appears on a metal plate in the early 20th century-style dystopia, Columbia, set within the paving stones on the side of the main street. The ring named “She flies with her own wings” was featured in House of Dragons and is sold by Ottoman Hands on their website.

References

{{Reflist Latin mottos State mottos of the United States Symbols of Oregon