Dreamtime at the G was first held in 2005. The colours of Essendon and Richmond combined make up the colours of the Aboriginal Flag - red (representing the red earth, the red ochre and a spiritual relation to the land), yellow (representing the Sun, the giver of life and protector) and black (representing the Aboriginal people of Australia), hence the reason these two teams were chosen to play in the match.
As I may have mentioned before, I live in Kalgoorlie, a mining town 600km’s east of Perth on the edge of the desert. There are a number of Aboriginal communities in the area, with Kalgoorlie being the closest town for many.
Every day I see racism, a lot of this is aimed toward the Aboriginal people in our society. This week we pay tribute to the people who have fought the adversity to become accepted in their own land.
I see the wonderful achievements of Indigenous people both individually and as a collective. I am proud that the club I love plays the game of the round as one of the pioneers in bringing Indigenous players into the game and working towards reconciliation.
If I sound passionate it’s because I am. I have married into an Aboriginal family and have become accustomed to the culture and its beauty. It is simple but complex at the same time.
I have my wife to thank for opening my eyes to another side of Aboriginal culture as well as the wonderful sense of humour and playfulness of our indigenous people. I recently had the great experience of camping out and eating Roo tail cooked in the coals, sharing a laugh with friends. I remember seeing the kids play footy and displaying skills I thought to be beyond that of an 8 year old, and thinking - ‘these just may be the Indigenous AFL stars of our future’.
That then brings us back to the game and what it is that we all love about Indigenous players in the AFL and other competitions (WAFL, SANFL, local leagues), is the flair and natural ability to turn a game off their own boot. This week we look to the pioneers that first came into the game and pay our respects to those in the game.
After some research, it seems, the first recorded player in the AFL of Indigenous origins was Joe Johnson who played for Fitzroy in 1904 - 1905.
Remembering the greats such as Polly Farmer and Maurice Rioli, and of course we can’t forget Michael Long, leading the long walk to the G. There are too many to mention but we also pay tribute to current and future players of the AFL.
At the conclusion of the game, the player judged best on ground is awarded the Yiooken award. Pronounced yie-yoo-ken, it is a word from the Woiwurrung language meaning ‘dreaming’.
A fitting tribute to the traditional owners of this great land and their contribution to our beautiful game.blog comments powered by Disqus
