Wana – Digging Stick

$333.33

  • 90.8cm x 4cm
  • Wanaṟi ~ Mulga Wood
  • Catalog No: C081P3-20

“Iriti tjana kanyiningi wana, wanari. Tjana tjawalpai: tjala, maku; tinka; ngampu.  Minyma tjutangku tjawalpai. Wana nyangatja.”

In the past they had digging sticks made of mulga wood. They were always digging; honey ants; witchetty grubs; goanna; eggs.  It’s the women who always do this work. This is a digging stick.

– Kunmanara Captain, senior Pitjantjatjara woman.

The wana is carved from a straight mulga sapling (Acacia aneura) then tapered and fire hardened at one end. It is used also in digging edible roots and locating root timber for carving. After the sharp point of the wana has loosened the soil, a wira or small bowl is used to scoop the earth away from the hole. Today it is often an iron crow bar which performs the traditional function of the wana in digging for food delicacies like honey ants and witchetty grubs.

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Price includes shipping within Australia, please contact us for international shipping.

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