PORT ADELAIDE’S Aboriginal players have unveiled the uniform they will wear in the 2017 AFL Sir Douglas Nicholls Indigenous Round against Geelong and Round 11 against Hawthorn.
The guernsey, designed by Nathan Krakouer, who is a a member of the Minang language group of Western Australia, again tells a story about the journey of the Power’s Aboriginal players.
It will be worn in two games - the AFL's official indigenous round and the Power's cultural recognition match the following week.
Designer Nathan Krakouer in our 2017 Aboriginal guernsey #weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/D5hiysjYcx
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) March 14, 2017
Guernsey tells player journeys
The front of the guernsey features a boomerang motif, the uppermost featuring the Aboriginal flag, while the lower features ‘1967’ in recognition of the 50-year anniversary of the referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australian citizens.
The nine hands on the body of the guernsey represent Krakouer, Chad Wingard, Karl Amon, Jarman Impey, Paddy Ryder, Jake Neade, Brendon Ah Chee, Sam Powell-Pepper and Aidyn Johnson.
The animal tracks represent the cultural totems of the players.
Krakouer said he wanted to design the guernsey to recognise the significant referendum anniversary and also tell the story of his fellow Aboriginal players at the club.
“I placed the year 1967 on the front of the guernsey, which is the year Australia had a referendum where 90% of the country voted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be included in the Australian population,” Krakouer said.
“I placed boomerangs in the guerney, shorts and socks to represent our people hunting, fighting and protecting each other like we do at Port Adelaide.
“And the hand prints are in recognition of the traditional art Aboriginal people have made for thousands of years.
“They would put a mixture of ochre, water and animal fat into their mouths and blow it across their hands onto a surface. Unfortunately much of this tradition has been lost of the years and may not exist into the future, so I wanted to recognise this on our jumper.”
Throwback look for Academy
The Aboriginal AFL Academy will wear a new look in 2017 as well, with Port's talented player squad adopting a retro 'Power' look.
Retaining the black, red and yellow of the Aboriginal flag, the Power's 1997 'away' jumper design has been used as inspiration for the team this year.
Red and gold lightning flashes cross the left side of the body, with a black base and white number panel on the back.
The 2017 AFL Aboriginal Academy guernsey! #weareportadelaide pic.twitter.com/2Lltw5ZHjE
— Port Adelaide FC (@PAFC) March 14, 2017
