This is a tjukurpa (story) from near Mimili on the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands from when Aṉangu (people) came here a long time ago. When the maku (witchetty grub) was finished, people sang the maku to make them come back. They sang and danced and scattered leaves to make the maku come out of the ground. This is Derek’s grandmother’s story. She used to dance to these songs when she lived in Mimili and she's now buried there.

Derek’s cousin says: ‘So when they dance to that maku song, that song develops all the bush food - maku under the ground to grow more bigger and to have more maku in the roots. So when the ladies dig it they can see it really close in the roots as well. They can be like five of them but they have to be really, really big’.

Until relatively recently bush foods were the primary source of sustenance for Aṉangu and maku is still one of the favourites. Many bush foods are still gathered regularly almost exclusively by women, and they feature strongly in artistic mark making. Women learn the art of gathering each of the foods from a young age and much inma (ceremony) relates to these practices and the maintenance of supply.