About the Artwork

‘Ngananala tjalaku mukuringkupai!’ – ‘We all love honey ants!’

Tjala are found deep below the ground in nests beneath the Mulga trees. Women dig for hours to get the sweet, honey-tasting syrup the ants store in their distended abdomens.

Worker ants climb to the surface and up into the flowering trees to collect the nectar, carrying it back to the storage ants hanging upside down in small chambers, unable to move for the weight of their honey-filled bellies.

The women carefully hook the ants with a stick to bring them to the surface. They are held by the legs and head, which are discarded after the honey is enjoyed.

Anangu say that by painting and talking about bush foods, it guarantees that supplies will be plentiful all year round!

Walkatjara Art is the Aboriginal owned and governed art centre belonging to the Mutitjulu community, located in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, NT.