Women Digging for Goanna by Karen Taylor, 30x40cm FJ708KT

"Women Digging for Goanna" by Karen Taylor vividly portrays the traditional practice of hunting for goannas, or monitor lizards, which are significant as both a traditional food source and a cultural symbol in Aboriginal Dreaming stories.

In the painting, women are represented by U-shapes and are depicted beside their digging sticks and gathering bowls (coolamons). This scene highlights the communal effort and traditional techniques used in hunting these valued reptiles.

Karen Taylor, born in 1967 in Port Augusta, South Australia, belongs to the Yankunytjatjara-Lurija/Adnyamathananha - Arabana language groups. She began painting by assisting her grandmother and eventually developed her own distinct style, deeply rooted in the ancestral stories passed down to her.

Taylor's artwork not only showcases the significance of honey ants and bush tucker in Aboriginal culture but also highlights the deep connection to ancestral heritage and sacred traditions.