Aboriginal Art Symbols - Honey Ant Site
The Aboriginal art symbol for a honey ant site is a star-shaped network of tunnels leading to the chambers where the honey ants live
The Aboriginal art symbol for a honey ant site is a star-shaped network of tunnels leading to the chambers where the honey ants live.
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Honey ants build their nests in the soil beneath a tree or bush and camouflage the entrance with dead leaves. Aboriginal people who collect honey ants from a nest only remove a small proportion of the population for bush tucker and then close up the nest, always aware of their conservation responsibilities and grateful for the gifts of the land.
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Honey ants are depicted in many Aboriginal paintings that feature bush tucker dreaming stories. The area around Papunya where the Western Desert Art Movement [1] began is known as the Honey Ant Dreaming site.