Dianne Dixon - Women collecting bush berries

Catalogue Number: 25/399

This painting tells a story about the bush berries that grow after the rain in the Central Desert area. The local women living in this area go out into the bush to collect this fruit. The foot prints show the women walking across the land, the curved shapes in the painting represent the women sitting on the ground, they have their digging sticks beside them. The berries are collected into a coolamon – an oval wooden bowl used for collecting food into that were used in the old days.

Aboriginal families living in Remote Central Australia go out and collect the fruit when it is ripe. The knowledge of what these plants look like and where to find them helps families stay strong and connected to their Country.