The Remote Indigenous Hockey Program is built around a number of platforms. One Platform challenges us to Embrace our Differences and Respect and Recognize the culture and traditions of “the First Australians”.
Merging sport and traditional culture through the Hockey Art Program has been an exciting way to bring a richer understanding of indigenous culture to the hockey community.
Hockey Art is woven into the RIHP Hockey Program at all levels like a rich tapestry. From art sessions in Holiday Hockey Programs through to designs on presentation and playing sticks and across uniform design – the images reflect the many traditional stories that are integral to the traditional cultural of Australia’s indigenous people.
An Indigenous art hockey workshop in action.
The culture of the indigenous people of Australia is highlighted significantly through art and it followed then that the best opportunity of combining sport and culture was through the painting of images on hockey equipment. 
Every piece of Indigenous hockey art represents a story relating to the Aboriginal culture. Its significance is critical element of the finished art work. Therefore when a person acquires a piece of Indigenous hockey art they are getting a piece of the cultural history of Aborigines.
For those Go Hockey News readers who are no familiar with the Indigenous culture Aborigines have the longest continuous cultural history of any group of people on Earth. Estimates date this history between 50,000 and 65,000 years. Before European settlement of Australia, there were around 600 different Aboriginal nations, based on language groups.
The art depicted tells most stories of the Dreaming. Briefly the Ancestor Spirits came to the earth in human form and as they moved through the land, they created the animals, plants, rocks and other forms of the land that we know today. They also created the relationships between groups and individuals to the land, the animals and other people. Once the ancestor spirits had created the world, they changed into trees, the stars, rocks, watering holes or other objects. These are the sacred places of Aboriginal culture and have special properties. Because the ancestors did not disappear at the end of the Dreaming, but remained in these sacred sites, the Dreaming is never-ending, linking the past and the present, the people and the land.
Hockey Art is integrated into the RIHP Hockey Program
– Partnership with Just Hockey Inc to sell equipment painted with indigenous designs
– RIHP Hockey uniforms are incorporated with the artwork
– Hockey Art is included in all Holiday Programs
– Increase awareness with special artwork designed for specific programs
Recent Examples include;
1. Art that came from RIHP holiday clinics
2. Artwork for special occasions
Autograph sticks
Presentation Sticks – gifts/trophies etc
Sticks presented to International Teams reflecting the indigenous culture
The RIHP Indigenous art engagement project continues to grow and we will look to move forward one step at a time using our philosophy of SMALL STEPS.
We invite you to look at some of the hockey art already produced. Their artists are ready to produce original works for you both on hockey equipment and on canvas with a hockey theme. Remember – part of the proceeds will go to this program so if you support Hockey Art you are supporting this program.
The artists are flexible with what they will produce. If you are interested in purchasing Hockey Art have a look at the Indigenous Catalogue and an original can be ordered contact – Julie.mcneil4@bigpond.com or Phone Mobile 0418880147
Alternatively you can review and purchase through the follow links
http://www.justhockey.com.au/index.php?action=prodcatalogue&form_name=view&category_id=131
http://www.remotehockey.com/hockey-art/2013-hockey-art/RIHP%20HOCKEY%20ART.pdf/view
