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Clip description
A woman shows us how to find termites by following the termite string to the termite bed in the spinifex grass. She shows the young children the termite eggs. She tells us that they rub the children’s tummy by mixing the termite bed with water. Mungkarta are gathered for the green bushes used to smoke the small babies and children. The clip ends with us being shown the different plants gathered for the smoking ritual.
Curator’s notes
The intricate knowledge of the land and the gathering of plants represent a practice thousands of years old. The wisdom required to make this ritual possible is specialised, and we see the women handing on that knowledge to the younger children who accompany them on their gathering expeditions.
