Artist: Poly Ngale | Title: Bush Plum | Year: 2002 | Medium: acrylic on linen | Dimensions: 122 x 183 cm
PROVENANCE
Kate Owen Gallery Cat No. ABAW - PNGG0002.
Accompanied by certificate of authenticity from Kate Owen Gallery and 19 working photos of the artist.
ARTWORK STORY
The conkerberry (or conkleberry) known as anwekety or bush plum to Polly, is a sweet black berry that only grows on the plant (Carissa lanceolata) for a few weeks of the year. Aboriginal people from Polly's community collect plenty of them and store them dry, soaking them in water again before being consumed. The plant of the conkerberry is a tangled, spiny shrub that can grow up to 2m high. After rain fragrant white flowers bloom. This plant also bares medicinal properties. The orange inner bark from the roots can be soaked in water and the resultant solutions can be used as a medicinal wash. This is particularly favoured for skin and eye conditions. The thorns on the shrub can be used to cure warts.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Utopia, NT
LANGUAGE
Anmatyerre
BIOGRAPHY
Poly (Polly) Ngale was born in 1936 into the Anmatyarre tribe. Later she moved to Camel Camp in Utopia with her family and sisters, Kathleen Ngale, Maisy Ngale and Angeline Pwerle… Continue Reading
PROVENANCE
Kate Owen Gallery Cat No. ABAW - PNGG0002.
Accompanied by certificate of authenticity from Kate Owen Gallery and 19 working photos of the artist.
ARTWORK STORY
The conkerberry (or conkleberry) known as anwekety or bush plum to Polly, is a sweet black berry that only grows on the plant (Carissa lanceolata) for a few weeks of the year. Aboriginal people from Polly's community collect plenty of them and store them dry, soaking them in water again before being consumed. The plant of the conkerberry is a tangled, spiny shrub that can grow up to 2m high. After rain fragrant white flowers bloom. This plant also bares medicinal properties. The orange inner bark from the roots can be soaked in water and the resultant solutions can be used as a medicinal wash. This is particularly favoured for skin and eye conditions. The thorns on the shrub can be used to cure warts.
Artist Profile
COMMUNITY/REGION
Utopia, NT
LANGUAGE
Anmatyerre
BIOGRAPHY
Poly (Polly) Ngale was born in 1936 into the Anmatyarre tribe. Later she moved to Camel Camp in Utopia with her family and sisters, Kathleen Ngale, Maisy Ngale and Angeline Pwerle… Continue Reading