Ahakeye (Bush Plum) Dreaming #574
Acrylic
on canvas
120 x 210 cm
(47.2 x 82.7 in)
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about
In this painting, Lindsay depicts the ritual of collecting bush-plum, Terminalia ferdinandiana. This is a small deciduous tree found in northwestern Australia. During the wet season extending from January through March, the plant produces small plum-like fruits that look and taste much like gooseberries.
These tart, green, heart-shaped fruit that grow throughout the Northern Territory and Western Australia, have for many years been a seasonal staple of the local Aboriginal diet. Also known as the Kakadu or billy goat plum, it has a very high content of vitamin C, in fact holds the World Record. It’s full of antioxidants, folic acid and iron. Apart from eating it, the aboriginal people pound the fruit and use it as an antiseptic and a soothing balm for aching limbs.
