On Vanuatu's flag, the namele leaflets represent original members of what body?

On Vanuatu’s flag, the namele leaflets represent the original members of the Parliament of Vanuatu.

The emblem shows two namele, or cycad, fronds inside a boar’s tusk. The leaves symbolize peace, while their 39 leaflets represent the 39 original members of Vanuatu’s Parliament. The number is therefore a historical reference to the country’s founding legislature, not a military, judicial or chiefly body.

The rest of the flag reinforces Vanuatu’s national story. The black represents the Melanesian people, red represents blood and unity, and green represents the islands’ rich vegetation. The yellow Y-shaped band suggests the shape of the archipelago and the light of the Gospel spreading through the Pacific.

Vanuatu adopted its national flag in 1980 as independence approached. A frequent mistake is to interpret the leaves only as a generic peace symbol. That symbolism is correct, but the precise quiz answer comes from counting the 39 leaflets and linking them to the first Parliament.