Mrs Ngala Polly Ngala Bush Plum Dreaming 3 in Blue

A vibrant and bubbly person, the late Mrs Polly Ngala spoke little English and lived a traditional life in Utopia. Mrs Polly Ngala was born in 1940 into the Anmatyerre tribe. Like many of the women in Utopia, Mrs Polly Ngala began her artistic career in batik before venturing into painting with acrylic paints on canvas. Mrs Polly Ngala used a wide palette of colours and often depicted the topography in shades of reds, oranges and yellows, reflecting the varying seasonal palette.

The bush plum fruit is one of the most important food sources in this area. The fruit is in season from early December and continues to grow until around the end of February. During this time, the women collect as much of this fruit as possible. The small dark fruit is threaded onto thin sticks and left in the sun to dehydrate. This ensures that these fruits are abundant through the harsh dry times during the middle of the year. Ceremony is held at the start of the season to encourage plentiful harvest and to give thanks for the abundance of the fruit.