The Wadawurrung Indigenous Story | Indigenous Ball Artwork by Yalanda Neal
Local Indigenous artist and Belmont Lions FNC Footballer, Yalanda Neal has added an extra special touch to AFL Barwon Indigenous Round with Indigenous artwork on the match balls.
Yalanda has created a design called the "Wadawurrung Indigenous Story" that has been printed on the playing footballs for all Senior Male and Female Football and A-Grade player Netballs for AFL Barwon Indigenous Round.
The story and the meaning behind design in Yalanda's words is featured below.
Wadawurrung Indigenous Story
The inner circle represents your sports team, the outer circle represents all those that bring the team together; coaches, team managers and supporters.
The third blue layer represents our waters, rivers and oceans of Wadawurrung Country. The outer and green dots represents the bushlands of Wadawurrung Country and that's to acknowledge the land on which we play sport on.
The emu, kangaroo tracks and path represents the journey, training & commitment players take to make their team & play every weekend.
About the Artist - Yalanda Neal
My name is Yalanda and I’m a proud Arrernte, Gunditjmara & WaddaWurrung women, born and raised on WaddaWurrung country. I am an intuitive Artist and love to tell and create stories through my art, which comes from my Arrernte line in which has been taught by my grandmother, A proud Western Arrernte Woman.
My youngest memories connecting to art has always been sitting with and watching my nan paint as a young girl & listening to the stories she incorporates into her own creations, I have always been strongly influenced by her, I draw inspiration from her artwork every time I sit and paint and am grateful for her teachings.
I also pay my respects to my Gunditjmara and Waddawurung linage & connections in which also play a huge role in the stories I create as that is who I am and also connected to, especially being born and raised on Waddawurung country.
Painting for me has always been a way to feel connected to my Arrernte linage when I don’t have the opportunity to be on Arrernte country everyday, though I’m grateful to be born and raised on one of my countries, painting is what keeps my heart close to my grandmother & to the desert, and to be able to express and tell my own stories where words can’t, and I grateful for that.
AFL Barwon will hold our Indigenous Round Launch at Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre on Monday May 6th with Yalanda headlining the guest speakers at this event discussing the Wadawurrung Indigenous Story.
To RSVP to this free event, please go to https://forms.gle/ETocfhFfM6kWLHXg7
