St Kilda has unveiled the jumper that will be worn in next Friday’s clash with Collingwood to mark Indigenous Round and National Reconciliation Week.
The special one-off guernsey aligns the traditional red, white and black panels of St Kilda’s guernsey with acknowledgement of the Boon Wurrung people, who are the traditional land owners of south-central Victoria.
This area includes suburbs now known as St Kilda, Moorabbin and Seaford, the club’s heartland.
Boon Wurrung elder Aunty Carolyn Briggs, worked closely with Indigenous designer Marcus Lee to create the guernsey.
“It’s about celebrating stories, it’s about place, connection, and it’s about how they will wear something of honour from the past,” Ms Briggs said.
“The guernsey represents the spearhead but it’s also about the shield and the message stick. It’s how we learn to negotiate conflict, how we move forward and how we protect ourselves.”
The narrative behind the design references the Bunjil as the creator and spiritual leader of the Kulin Nation who in a time of historic tribal conflict and chaos was asked to stop the sea from rising.
Bunjil walked out to the sea, raised his spear and directed the sea from rising and then made the Boon Wurrung promise that they would respect the laws.
Symbolically the force of the spear, a design feature of the guernsey, had the power to reconcile past differences between conflicting nations which draws obvious metaphoric similarities to today as we consider the act of reconciliation.
The special indigenous jumper is one of several initiatives the club is holding to mark indigenous round, with the Saints hosting local schools for a clinic to acknowledge Reconciliation Day on Tuesday 27 May.
Young indigenous musicians will take to the big stage at Etihad Stadium as part of the pre-match entertainment with talented young group Indigenous Hip Hop Projects set to perform.
The Saints have had a strong affinity with indigenous footballers since Jim Wandin became the club’s first indigenous player in 1952.
Wandin was the first of 22 indigenous players to represent St Kilda, all of whom will be acknowledged on the big screen at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.
Former St Kilda star and indigenous champion Nicky Winmar will present the game ball.
