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Catalogue Number: 25/375
This painting shows Aboriginal women walking across their Country, looking for witchetty grubs. Their footprints can be seen on the ground, showing the path they have taken through the soft desert sand.
Witchetty grubs live under the ground, usually near the roots of certain desert plants, like the witchetty bush. The women know how to look for small signs on the earth, such as cracks in the soil or loose sand around the base of a plant. These signs tell them where to find the fat, white grubs.
The curved shapes in the painting represent the women sitting on the ground as they dig. Beside them is a coolamon, a wooden bowl used in the old days to collect the grubs and carry them home.
Witchetty grubs are an important traditional food in Central Australia. They can be eaten raw or lightly cooked in the hot ashes of a fire. When eaten raw, the grubs are soft and creamy, with a taste a bit like cold scrambled eggs. When cooked, the outside becomes crispy and the inside tastes a little like roasted chicken or nuts.
This painting celebrates the strong knowledge of Aboriginal women. They learn from their mothers, aunties, and grandmothers.