Remember Oversized T-Shirt

Ryderwear athlete and changemaker Mariah Akamarre is a proud Alyawarre woman. Her design represents the passing down of traditions, and the importance of bringing all communities together.

MARIAH AKAMARRE – I’m a proud Alyawarre woman, personal trainer and artist. My story is called Awelye: Teaching Awelye to Young Girls and was passed down to me by my Nanna, Barbara Weir. Each element is a representation of how our traditions are passed down. Women’s Awelye is painted on the upper body and breasts during ceremonies, where the women show their respect and love for the land. These traditions are then taught to the younger generation of girls along with particular dances and songs. Awelye is a sacred tradition and practiced only by Anmatyerre and Alyawarre women.

My mission and creative inspiration behind this collaboration, and the recent launch of my yoga mat, is to remember Australia’s true history and educate future generations. To embody this, the word Remember is on the front of the tee; Remember that we stand together on Aboriginal land, which is an opportunity to celebrate the oldest living culture in the world. The circles in my design represent the older generation teaching culture to the next generation. I believe this is key to keeping my culture alive. Educating people on the intergenerational trauma that has been passed down from generation to generation is the first step of breaking this cycle. I want each individual to share their journey, from starting to learn about the culture or sharing their stories and experiences. This design also highlights the importance of bringing all of our communities together as one.

As a Alyawarre woman, this is part of my journey to keep my culture alive and share the knowledge, history and stories of my Elders. I take great responsibility in continuing to share our stories and want this t-shirt to be a reminder to remember and continue the conversations - so have a yarn and open up the floor to a deeper conversation.

One of the organisations that we’re donating to is Challenges into Opportunities – Main Event, an organisation dedicated to improving mental health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth through a boxing inspired fitness program.

Main Event’s primary outcome is to use exercise to create a safe community that removes youth from negative influences whilst mentoring and engaging in future employment opportunities. This donation will directly help fund the next group of youth through the boxing inspired fitness program and provide participants with their own pair of boxing gloves and full uniform kit.

With more than 8 out of 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth aged 12–24 years hospitalised for a mental health-related issues, Main Event provides a much needed program to support young aboriginals and help break this cycle.

The program is directly led by community for the community. Mentoring is a key component to the structure of the program and it offers employment and mentoring opportunities to suitable graduates of the program.