The Massachusetts seal, first designed in 1629, originally depicted a Native American with these words: “Come over and help us.” The seal has been redesigned multiple times, with a mishmash of features from different Indian tribes. During the American Revolution, a sword was introduced. State archives indicate that the sword was intended to symbolize armed resistance to British tyranny. The current version was designed in 1898.

Massachusetts and Mississippi, which incorporates the Confederate battle flag in its state flag, are now the states most often criticized for their flags, said Ted Kaye, one of the country’s foremost flag experts.

In Massachusetts, he said, the sword was added to memorialize liberty from the British. It was “not meant to be oppressing the Indian,” Mr. Kaye said, “but certainly that’s how people perceive it.”

Whether the State Legislature will be inclined to change the seal and flag is uncertain. Massachusetts is fiercely proud of its history, which is an important driver in its lucrative tourism industry. Towns pushing to revisit the issue are some of the most liberal in the state.

So far, little opposition has materialized against changing the flag, but it is expected if lawmakers take up the matter. In 2015, when a Boston Globe columnist argued for change, many denounced the idea.

“This flag flew above the battlefields of the Civil War, including by the all-black 54th regiment fighting slavery,” one person wrote in response. Another wrote, “U.S.-Native American relations can be described as genocidal at best, but to eliminate the Indian from our flag would be the final ‘damnatio memoriae’ from our collective consciousness of Massachusetts’ true natives.”