As the Queensland Firebirds prepare to wear their special Indigenous Round dress for tomorrow’s clash against the Melbourne Vixens in Cairns, the artist responsible for the design believes its themes are more important than ever.
A proud Goreng Goreng woman from the Bundaberg region in Queensland, Rachael Sarra says the ‘Uniting Flames’ design is as significant now as when it was first worn by the team in 2018, if not moreso given the current environment.
“This year alone we have seen extreme bushfires and a global pandemic, but I think it’s forced us to appreciate a greater sense of self and place,” Sarra said.
“I think the themes behind the Uniting Flames design are very powerful for this year given what we have all tackled together.”
The Uniting Flames design encompasses a number of elements including they 7 players on court and the unifying energy that connects them, the support provided by the broader Purple Family, and the acknowledgement of our past, present and future and its role in our legacy.
Sarra said its humbling to know the impact the design, and art more broadly can have in unifying us to face a common challenge.
“When I first shared the artwork with the team, I saw a few of the players with tears in their eyes and it’s beautiful to know that art has the power to both draw that emotion from people, but also start a fire in the belly to champion Aboriginal culture.”
“It’s a very powerful thing, particularly in 2020 where we really need to start humanising our interactions again and celebrating that raw emotion.”
When she was first commissioned to design the dress in 2018 Sarra was determined all members of the Firebirds team, both on and off the court, would have a voice, in order to ensure it represented the sentiments of the entire group.
Even she admits she couldn’t have foreseen its broader impact just a few years later.
“When you see Aboriginal work being celebrated by teams like the Firebirds on a platform like Suncorp Super Netball, particularly when it travels to places like Cairns with such a large population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it’s very special to see ourselves reflected in the community.”
“There’s still such a gap between men’s and women’s sport so the opportunity to play a role in celebrating women in sport, and particularly for young Aboriginal women to have people to look up to is incredibly empowering.”
Art has played a significant role in Sarra’s life from a young age, often providing an avenue for self-discovery for an indigenous girl whose Aboriginality was always a difficult topic of conversation outside the family environment.
Her responsibility to other young indigenous girls and boys experiencing the same challenge is by no means lost on her.
“Art is an environment that allows you to be completely yourself, my work has always been an extension of my experiences, which are often around my identity and figuring out who I am.”
“From a young age I was confused about who I was – I never denied the fact that I was Aboriginal and it was always celebrated around family, but in external environments it was still vey taboo in a sense.”
“I would never want anyone else, particular you Aboriginal people to feel confused about how they are or where they fit in the community, so my work is an authentic representation of my experiences that encourages young people to see themselves in it and feel comfortable on their journey of discovery.”
“Our storytelling through generations has been our preservation of culture and as a young artist I play a role in encouraging that next generation to continue our narrative.”
Firebirds fans will get another glimpse of Sarra’s design during tomorrow’s clash against the Melbourne Vixens, with the Queensland side to wear both the dress, as well as a specifically designed warm up shirt, as part of the clash.
Coverage begins on Channel 9 from 1pm.
