Rosemary Bird "Alpar Story - Rat-Tail Plant"
Information
| Artist | Rosemary Bird |
|---|---|
| Title | Alpar Story - Rat-Tail Plant |
| Language Group | Anmatyerre |
| Born around | 1978 |
| Area | Utopia, NT |
| Catalogue | 2179 |
| Date | 2010 |
| Medium | Acrylic on Canvas |
| Size (W x H) | 32 x 32 cm |
| Price $AUD | $150 |
Description
Rosemary is daughter of Paddy Bird Jungala (Ngale) and Eileen Bird Nungarai. Her grandmother is Ada Bird Petyarre. Rosemary is married to Clifford Tilmouth and they have two children. They live with their large extended family in the Utopia region.
Rosemary depicts the rat-tail plant, or "Alpar' in Rosemary's language. This small herb is sticky to touch and heavily scented of citrus. The plant is found in abundance in Rosemary's home in the Utopia Region, north east of Alice Springs. The rat-tail plant produces small clustered flowers that resemble a rat-tail, and tiny black shiny seeds. These seeds are high in protein and low in fibre. Due to the sticky nature of the plant, the seeds do not drop as early as soon as they mature, meaning they are available much later in the season than other plants.
The scented leaves of the plant can also be soaked to make a medicinal wash.
Women would collect the seeds and sometimes soak them in water until swollen, or cook the seeds over hot coals and then grind them into a powder to make damper bread.
This story, while not in practice now, is continually taught to the younger generations and ceremonies are carried out to ensure the continuity of the culture.
