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Catalogue Number: 25/87
This painting shows Aboriginal women out in the bush looking for honey ants. These special ants live deep underground in the Central Australian desert. The women search for the yellow, orange, and black honey ants, which are the ones filled with sweet honey.
The grey area in the painting shows the place under the ground where the honey ants live. The women know how to read the land. They look for small signs on the surface, like loose sand or tiny holes, which tell them a nest is below. Sometimes the ants are found near mulga trees, where the roots give them shelter.
Honey ants are a sweet bush treat, and families enjoy them when they are found.
This painting celebrates the strong knowledge passed down from mothers, aunties, and grandmothers, teaching the younger women how to find food on Country.