Description
The capstone Virtue for locations in the United States, Libertas, is always represented on the 50 Goldback Denomination. In the South Dakota Series Design, Libertas is inspired by the Lady Freedom statue in D.C., lending from the symbolism of that depiction. She holds a bared sword in her right hand before a shield in her left. Both are raised, indicating a readiness to protect her own. The shield bears her name with a depiction of the South Dakota flag’s sun above and below reads the inscription that “Under God the People Rule”, which is South Dakota’s state motto. Her crested helmet along with her shield and sword come from symbols commonly associated with the Roman goddesses Minerva and Bellona.
At Liberty’s feet the skull of an American bison can be seen, painted with the Lakota Sioux Medicine Wheel, meant to represent all the native people in South Dakota, the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota. It is in the shape of a circle and the directional lines and feathers that accompany it together stand for a symbol of hope and healing for those who seek it. The bison’s skull also represents the sacred nature of how this particular animal’s life would historically be given and its entire body would be used completely to become the source of life for many others. These symbols are placed atop a depiction of a freesia flower cluster, which stands for peace, friendship, and innocence.
Below Libertas is a depiction of a person fishing for walleye, the state fish, against the backdrop of the cliffs and water of Palisades State Park. Behind Liberty’s right shoulder is an illustration of the South Dakota State Capitol behind which the famous Needles formations, located in the Black Hills within Custer State Park, can also be seen. Above her a representation of Mount Rushmore boasts South Dakota as the home of such a major symbol for America, Freedom and hope. Surrounded by these symbols, Liberty exhorts us, as always to “Stand Fast in Liberty”.
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