Elaine Woods Australian, Pitjantjatjara, b. 1969

Elaine regularly travels out bush with her mother and daughters to collect punu (wood for artifact making) and spinifex, bush medicines, bush foods and minkulpa a highly prised native tobacco.

Her mother Maringka is a master at collecting maku (edible grubs that live in the roots of certain trees). Using a crowbar which has been flattened and sharpened on one end and small spade she hits the surface of the ground listening and feeling for the difference that indicates a swollen root and a maku inside. She digs out the root carefully and using the sharpened crow bar breaks it open to reveal a big fat white grub, which is put into a container. Once there are enough maku for a feed a fire is made to cook the grubs.

Elaine now lives in Kanpi with her family. She attended the skills development workshop in Kanpi in October 2014 and learned to make tjanpi sculptures for the first time.