News Bunjil Bagora - Waverley Park renamed with cultural significance

[Strapping Young Lad]

 

[GerryLewis]

It's a nice touch. Anything we can do to acknowledge and further strengthen our indigenous relationships is a good one.

 

[Restricted Free Agent]

This is an amazing initiative. Love the work the club has done in the past few years with promoting Indigenous voices and now this. Always was and always will be and good to see the club acknowledging that in another way

 

[Dinsdale]

Good, but why not use the indigenous word for Hawk (Pengana) instead of Eagle.

Bunjil - Wikipedia
"Bunjil is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being, often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle in Australian Aboriginal mythology of some of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria."

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Love it. Despite Bunjil technically being an Eagle, I always enjoyed seeing the Bunjil statue in Docklands whenever I worked there and liked to imagine what he'd be like wrapped in a giant Hawks scarf during grand final weeks. Sadly the latter never happened - but he was one of the rare visual treats in Docklands.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Good, but why not use the indigenous word for Hawk (Pengana) instead of Eagle.

Bunjil - Wikipedia
"Bunjil is a creator deity, culture hero and ancestral being, often depicted as a wedge-tailed eagle in Australian Aboriginal mythology of some of the Aboriginal peoples of Victoria."

The name was gifted to us by Elders - from the story:

The blessing of using 'Bunjil Bagora’ was given to the Hawks from Senior Elder Aunty Joy Murphy.

Bunjil - Wurundjeri Woiwurrung language - is known as a "symbolic portrayal of the ancestral creator spirit and is regarded as majestic, swift and fierce".

Bagora translates to "a cultural place, a reminder of a rich and surviving land of thousands of years".

Those two in tandem make for a pretty great name, even if Bunjil is technically an eagle.

 

[Beandip]

Wonderful to see how far the club has come in a short time on this front... and we had a long way to come. But as is the Hawthorn way, once we're up and running we excel (see the lead time to 1961)..

Smarts a bit having a racist nob like Kennett accept the gift and speak to it.

 

[goldfinger]

Well done HFC, really good initiative. Respect.

 

[chopflop]

Rate this

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Couple of reactionary types having a whinge about this on the Hawks IG account. Just bizarre - the decision impacts regular white punters like me in no way shape or form but people still have to crack the sads.

 

[Xtreme]

Better than the Ricoh center!

 

[Steven Tyler]

So are we losing sponsorship money with this name change?

 

[CHUBBSS]

Think it’s a nice touch but don’t like it’s at the expense of loosing the Waverley name, particularly when we won the 91 flag at Waverley park…

Surely they could keep the significance of the Waverley park name whilst still moving to the bunjil bagora naming

 

[hamohawk1]

Fantastic news.

Pretty disappointing (but not surprising) to see some of the comments on the FB and Instagram posts from 'supporters' with 1950's views.

At the very least, this decision has no negative impact to the clubs operations and helps us promote the broader indigenous reconciliation.

Deadset hope any supporter that has an issue with this change wasn't cheering on Buddy when he kicked 100 in 08 or when Burgers got us into the 13 GF or Cyril's 4058273728828273 special moments.

 

[eldorado]

Couple of reactionary types having a whinge about this on the Hawks IG account. Just bizarre - the decision impacts regular white punters like me in no way shape or form but people still have to crack the sads.

Some bitter, hate-filled campaigners out there...

 

[KermitJagger]

Not sure how anyone can have a legit problem with this but think things like Marvel Stadium are okay. At least it's not soulless corporate branding.

 

[Mercy Seat]

Think it’s a nice touch but don’t like it’s at the expense of loosing the Waverley name, particularly when we won the 91 flag at Waverley park…

Surely they could keep the significance of the Waverley park name whilst still moving to the bunjil bagora naming

Waverley remains. This replaces the name for the training facility, FKA the Ricoh Centre.

 

[The hands of stone]

Great decision , was really happy to hear this morning on SEN .

 

[CHUBBSS]

Waverley remains. This replaces the name for the training facility, FKA the Ricoh Centre.

That’s good then, I read facility as the whole place.

 

[Xtreme]

Great news... I'd also like to see the club adopt the indigenous guernsey as the (permanent) away guernsey.

Lets not get too crazy here I'm hoping the Power Rangers guernsey gets reintroduced

jk

 

[Yuley95]

Great! love this

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Couple of reactionary types having a whinge about this on the Hawks IG account. Just bizarre - the decision impacts regular white punters like me in no way shape or form but people still have to crack the sads.

You say 'reactionary types', I say 'ignorant mouth breathers'.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Not sure how anyone can have a legit problem with this but think things like Marvel Stadium are okay. At least it's not soulless corporate branding.

Manly in the NRL let their home ground be called ‘Lottoland’ due to gambling sponsorship a few years back.

 

[William Wonka]

Ive got absolutely no problem with the name change however I do wonder if more couldn't be achieved by selling naming rights and putting the funds towards a program for indigenous kids

 

[Strapping Young Lad]

Didn’t see this article until today.

Chad Wingard says he is proud to play for a club that is making efforts to respect Indigenous culture after Hawthorn renamed its Waverley Park headquarters to ‘Bunjil Bagora’.

Speaking to NITV News this week, Wingard said the renaming of ‘Bunjil Bagora’ acknowledges the club’s history and reconciliation in Australia.

“It's a massive statement not just for Indigenous kids, for all kids alike,” Wingard said.

“It might even make kids Google or have a look into Aboriginal culture and Australia's history… They’ll ask their parents, 'What does Bunjil Bagora mean?'"

Wingard hopes that other AFL clubs will jump on board and follow in Hawthorn’s steps.

“It’s a reiteration showing that we respect Indigenous culture 100 per cent, we’re going to make this place equal for everyone and walk together as one,” he said.

“It's a respect thing, but it's also acknowledging everyone who has come before us and (that) the land we stand on is Indigenous land.

“I think it’s going to be one of those things that's looked back on as a huge point in Hawthorn's very rich history.”


Wingard: “A huge point in Hawthorn’s rich history”…
https://www.hawthornfc.com.au/news/1032757