The Kangaroos and the Emus are painted as totemic images of the players. The Kangaroos are jumping for the high ball and the Emus are fighting for the ground ball. The red dots on the yellow circle in the middle of the ball represent the clearing of the ground where the game was played. The circle around the yellow with the cross hatching represents the ball, traditionally made with natural resources such as possum skins. The “U” shapes on either side of the circles represent the men and women. The red outline represents the men and the yellow represents the women playing AFL today.
Brett Parker “Billyara” is one of Australia’s leading Indigenous Artists who comes from the Wiradjuri Tribe. A multi-award winning artist, Brett has over 30 years experience teaching Aboriginal art and culture in schools and youth ‘off the street’ programs, and has been running his business Billyara Aboriginal Art full-time for the past 12 years. His workshops incorporate knowledge that was passed on to him from elders, and with his expertise, people are able to get a hands-on experience and learn more about Australia’s first nations peoples.
