Order of the Desert Heart

The Order of the Desert Heart, originally called the Royal Order of the Desert Heart is an Order of Westarctica intended to recognize service and friendship connected with the Colony of Calsahara. It was originally created by the King of Calsahara on 24 November 2009, but was absorbed into Westarctica's honors system on 11 March 2021. In addition to being called "Sir" or "Dame," members of the order are entitled to use the postnominal "ODH" after their name.

Regalia for the Order

Composition and regalia

King Christopher receiving the regalia of the Order of the Desert Heart in 2010. The location of the ceremony was the Embassy of Calsahara in the Kingdom of Vikesland.

There are three ranks of the Order:

• Grand Knight / Dame Commander - The Sovereign of the Order
• Knight / Dame Commander - Foreign Heads of State / Government
• Knight / Dame - Limited to 20

As the Sovereign of Westarctica, Grand Duke Travis is the current font of honor for the order, although previously, it could be awarded by either King Nicholas or the Dictator for Life.

The regalia for the order is a silver and turquoise heart suspended from a red and green ribbon. Turquoise is a common semi-precious stone found desert areas in the North American southwest and the red and green ribbon contain the colors of the original Flag of Calsahara.

History of the Order

Under a Sovereign Calsahara

Upon creation, the Order of the Desert Heart served as Calsahara's highest honor. As the nation had no permanent residents, and very few citizens, its de facto function was to serve as a means of recognizing fellow micronationalists who supported Calsahara and its leadership. It is a common practice in the micronational community (as well as in macronational circles) to exchange national honors, to signify mutual respect and friendship between nations. As such, the majority of awards of the order were to foreign heads of state.

The only notable exception to this was Sam Green, who was made a Knight of the order for his actions during the liberation of Calsahara. This membership is also notable for technically being the final time the order was bestowed as an order of a sovereign Calsahara; as the knighting took place after the military phases of the liberation, but prior to the signing of the Article of Eternal Union, which marked the official beginning of Calsahara's status as a colony of Westarctica.

Calsahara as a Colony of Westarctica

After becoming a colony, the majority of Calsahara's orders were declared to be in disuse, meaning that members of said orders could still wear their regalia, but that the respective orders would no longer be issued. This is due to their function no longer being in line with Grand Duke Travis' vision for the colony, or their function being deemed redundant by overlapping with Westarctica's knighthoods and honored awards.

The Order of the Desert Heart was preserved to provide a knighthood that dealt with Calsahara specifically before being incorporated into Westarctica's honors system by Royal Decree on 11 March 2021. It now serves as an equivalent of the United Kingdom's Order of the Thistle, which recognizes services to Scotland.

Members of the order

Grand Knight Commander

Name	Rank	Reason for appointment	Date of appointment
Grand Duke Travis	Grand Knight Commander	Sovereign of the Order	20 November 2009

Knight / Dame Commanders

Name	Rank	Reason for appointment	Date of appointment
Prince Christopher, Duke of Hudson	Knight Commander	State visit to Vikesland	15 August 2010
President Kevin Baugh of Molossia	Knight Commander	State visit to Molossia	30 May 2011
King Timothy of Shiloh	Knight Commander	Summit of the Three Kings	12 September 2012
Queen Anastasia of Ruritania	Dame Commander	Oldest ally of Calsahara	11 April 2015
Prince Maximilian of Kaharagia	Knight Commander	Support of Calsahara	18 April 2015
Prince Paul of Wy	Knight Commander	Accomplishments in Art	24 May 2022
Zaq Landsberg of Zaqistan	Knight Commander	Desert-Dwelling Nation	6 August 2022
Sultan Randy of Slowjamastan	Knight Commander	Desert-Dwelling Nation	6 August 2022

Knights

Name	Rank	Reason for appointment	Date of appointment
Sam Green	Knight	Gallantry during the Liberation of Calsahara	29 October 2017
Duke Jordan of the Bear Peninsula	Knight	Contributions to the upkeep of the Colonial Estates	30 April 2019
Prince-Consort Dinny	Knight	Leadership during the Liberation of Calsahara	20 July 2019
Count of Dendtler	Knight	Service as Captain-General of Calsahara	21 May 2020
Prince Daniel Nicholas	Knight	Service as Viceroy of Calsahara	2 November 2022
Captain-General Kramer	Knight	Service as Captain-General of Calsahara	2 November 2023