BM201401
91cm x 30cm
The artist’s depiction refers to the women’s ceremonies performed at Atnwengerrp – the artist homeland. The smaller circles represent bush melon fruit, which once grew plentiful, but are now days difficult to find. The Aboriginal women gathered the fruit, either to be eaten or dried, when bush tucker became scarce. The body paint designs are drawn onto the body using a mix of ochre, charcoal and ash. These are depicted as ‘U’ shapes with lines painted across them. The concentric circles represent the ceremonial rock holes and water soakage, which is where this ceremony is held. Betty Mbitjana has inherited this Dreaming from her late mother Minnie Pwerle. She will often incorporate this design into her Awelye (Body Paint) works.
