Trinidad is redrawing its coat of arms to remove Columbus' three famous ships

SAN JUAN – Officials in Trinidad and Tobago are redrawing the island’s coat of arms for the first time since its creation in 1962 to remove references to European colonization in a move that many are celebrating.

Christopher Columbus’ three ships — the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa María — will be replaced with the steelpan, a popular percussion instrument that originated in the eastern Caribbean island.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley made the announcement on Sunday to a standing ovation, saying the coat of arms would be reconfigured before late September.

“That should signal that we are on our way to removing the colonial vestiges that we have in our constitution,” he said.

The current coat of arms also features hummingbirds, a palm tree and a scarlet ibis, Trinidad's national bird.

Rowley’s announcement comes roughly a week before Trinidad and Tobago is scheduled to hold a public hearing on whether certain statues, signs and monuments should be removed.

The upcoming change is part of a worldwide movement that aims to eradicate symbols of the colonial era, with statues of Columbus removed or toppled across the U.S. in recent years.

Columbus arrived in Trinidad and Tobago in 1498.