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The Story Behind Kangaroo Country
The result is Kangaroo Country, a collaboration between Blackriver and Radical Fingerboards inspired by one of Australia’s most recognisable native animals.
More Than an Australian Icon
Country is more than a physical place. It can include the land, waters, stories, values, cultural responsibilities and relationships associated with an ancestral area.
Even the word “kangaroo” has a First Nations origin. It comes from gangurru, a word shared by the Guugu Yimidhirr people with James Cook and the crew of the Endeavour in 1770.
The Inspiration Behind the Design
The visual direction of the graphic was influenced by the relationship between storytelling, animals, nature and country found across many Aboriginal art traditions.
Australia is home to many different Aboriginal nations and communities, each with its own cultures, languages, laws, artistic traditions and systems of knowledge. Because of this diversity, there is no single style that can represent all Aboriginal art or culture.
This artwork is therefore not intended to reproduce, imitate or represent the sacred stories, symbols or designs of any particular community. It was created as a broader acknowledgment of the kangaroo’s natural and cultural significance and with respect for Australia’s First Peoples and their continuing connection to Country.
Fingerboarding has always been about more than the object beneath your fingers. It is a culture built through creativity, self-expression, shared sessions, local scenes and the connections formed between people around the world. Kangaroo Country celebrates that journey. The graphic brings together an unmistakably Australian subject with the creativity and storytelling that sit at the heart of fingerboarding. It represents the relationship between a brand, its home and the community that has grown around it.
For Blackriver and Radical, this collaboration is both a celebration of ten years and a tribute to the people who continue to shape fingerboarding in Australia, one session, setup and shared experience at a time.
Available on the US shop soon!