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Catalogue Number: 26/244
This is a painting about the healing bush medicine plants that grow in Central Australia.
Aboriginal women in remote communities know these plants, they know how to find them, how to pick the right leaves and how to use them to help sick people. Some plants are used for drinking as a tea to help with coughs or stomach pains. Others are used for washing cuts, sore muscles or skin problems.
The women go out into the bush after the rain, that’s when the medicine plants are ready—full of green leaves and bright flowers. In the painting you can see the small curved shapes, this represents woman, she has a digging stick beside.
The knowledge of bush medicine is very important. The older women teach the younger ones so they can keep using the land to stay healthy. This is how the knowledge is passed down through families—from grandmothers to mothers to daughters.
The painting tells a story of healing, and connection to the land.