Healing Bush Medicine Leaves

Serena Moore

Size: 60 x 90cm

The Story: Serena Moore is from the renowned artist community of Utopia, located approximately 350km northeast of Alice Springs. The Bush Medicine Leaves Dreaming is a significant Dreaming that woman dance to celebrate and pay homage to the spirit of the Bush Medicine in their Awelye (Dancing) ceremonies to ensure perpetual germination. Daily life out in Communities and further “out bush” consists of hunting, collecting, processing and sometimes storing food and medicines. When in season, the medicine leaves are picked, crushed, boiled and the steam is collected. Sometimes leaves can be squeezed for juice. The liquid is mixed with the fat from a goanna or kangaroo, and the ointment used for everything from cuts to aches. The knowledge of where to find the certain types of trees, barks, flowers and bulbs has been passed down over many centuries. The groups of circles represent camps where the women sit and process the medicine bushes.