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Catalogue Number: 26/220
This painting tells a story about Aboriginal women living in Central Australia as they walk out on Country to hunt for bush tucker. Their footprints can be seen across the ground, showing the path they follow as they move through the desert. These tracks remind us that the women know their land well and understand where different foods grow and hide.
As they travel, the women find goanna and bush tomatoes. The bush tomatoes in the painting are yellow, which means they are ripe and ready to eat.
The curved U shapes in the painting represent the women sitting on the ground. Beside them are their digging sticks and a coolamon. A coolamon is a carved oval wooden bowl used in the old days to collect and carry food.
As they hunt, the older women teach the younger ones how to find bush tucker. They show them how to read the land, how to follow tracks, and how to dig for hidden foods.
This artwork celebrates strong women, their knowledge of the land, and the way they keep culture alive by passing it on to the next generation.