English: Sarnaism logo used by Santhal people

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The red and white striped flag, popularly used as the flag of Sarnaism – a religious identity promulgated in the 1930s – is vexillologically derived from Oraon traditional textiles, the founding community of the religious concept, though some visually anchor it to the East India Company flag. It gained popularity among neighboring communities, such as the Munda and Kharia, due to its similarity with their traditional textiles and came into common use as a symbol of Adivasi identity after the formation of Jharkhand in 2000. Over time, the flag's colors came to symbolize resistance against cultural change (red) and purity (white) in Adivasi tradition.

The Santals, who live in a different socio-cultural zone, despite adopting certain tenets of Sarnaism after 1961, did not fully integrate with its associated socio-cultural practices. They maintain their own socio-cultural identity (even a separate religion called Sari Dharam, although the majority now identify as Sarna Dharam a.k.a. Sarnaism) and refrained from adopting the red-and-white attire trend, instead favoring checkered patterns in green, blue, and yellow. Similarly, they did not incorporate the red-and-white striped flag, instead preferred distinct symbols such as the three circular bow and arrow. In some instances, they employed green or yellow flags featuring the three circular bow and arrow as emblem.