Bush Potato - Lorna Fencer Naparrula

Lorna Fencer is custodian for Bush Potato, her principal Dreaming and most common painting subject. The Bush potato depiction signifies fertility as an important subject of Women's business.

This painting tells the Dreamtime story of two women of the Napurrula and Nakamarra skin groups who are searching the countryside for bush potatoes. Bush potatoes grow as roots underground, so the women must use the digging sticks to find them. The meandering lines represent the complex root system and branches of the bush potato plant.

The circle is the place where the women dig to retrieve the wild yams which are excellent bush tucker. The artist is a senior custodian for this Dreaming which took place at Duck Ponds in the Northern Territory, Australia. She has painted a large tract of country through which the dreaming runs some of which is under flood waters.