Nganampa Tjukurpa Ananyi Wilurara : Our Stories Are Going West
Past exhibition
Lynette Lewis Australian, Pitjantjatjara, b. 1979
Tjala/ Honey Ants, 2020
Stoneware ceramic
24 x 10 cm
841536
Tjala or Honey Ants are found about a metre underground beneath Mulga trees. The Honey Ant tunnels that lead down to the ant's nests are called nyinantu. The Honey Ant...
Tjala or Honey Ants are found about a metre underground beneath Mulga trees. The Honey Ant tunnels that lead down to the ant's nests are called nyinantu. The Honey Ant larvae are called ipilyka-ipilyka. When the Pitjantjatjara go looking for Honey Ants they look for the drill holes under the trees. When they see them, they shovel and dig down following the tunnels to find the Honey Ants inside. Honey Ants are a highly favoured food source. They suck the honey-like liquid from the abdomen of the Honey Ant. The story of the Honey Ant is told across the Northern Territory into South Australia. The Honey Ant is an important link between their mythology and inter-dependence on the environment.