Daisy captures the vibrancy of the Kupata (bush plum) plant. Kupata is known for its strong colours that range from shades of green to dark purples. The fruit is a popular bush food, found only in the summer. The flavour is a combination of both sweet and sour.

“In the summer, before Christmas time, I would go looking for Kupata with my family. It grows everywhere, all over the desert. My brother and I would eat the fruit and get purple stains everywhere! I have grandchildren and great-grandchildren now, and I love taking them out to collect Kupata and other bush foods.”

Daisy Barney was born near Mount Chandler in 1965, not far from the Indulkana community. As a young girl, her family moved to live closer to the Iwantja creek. Daisy and her family would often hunt and look for bush foods such as Maku (Witchetty Grub) and Tjala (Honey Ant).

Daisy’s parents carved Piti (bowl) and Nula Nula (clapping Sticks) to sell to the travelers on the Stuart highway, her father was a particularly good craftsman, and Daisy would assist by burning designs into the wooden forms with wire.

Daisy has worked at Iwantja Arts with her brother Eric Barney, and her two daughters Dianne and Kunmanara (Kerry Ann) Robinson for many years. Daisy is a cultural leader for young women in the community, she teaches and performs Inma (cultural dance and songs) that she learned from her mother to the next generation.

Iwantja Arts is an artist studio located within the remote Indigenous community of Indulkana, on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Iwantja Arts is an Aboriginal corporation owned and governed by a board of directors. The art centre aims to encourage and support artistic excellence and cultural development within the community by providing opportunities, career development, and economic independence for practicing artists.