This work is an example of a phase where the artist of her own motion explored lesser known plant species which she feared were being forgotten by younger generations. This coincided with artist John Wolseley’s interest in returning to Yilpara (after they had met during the Djalkiri project of 2010) and the two spent an extended period exploring the botany of Blue Mud Bay. She wants to renew the knowledge of these plants because when she was young this is the food that she grew up on. In those days old people lived for a long time without illness. John Wolseley spent a week at Yilpara with Mulkun in May 2012 and again at Yirrkala in June 2013 and June 2014. And May and December 2015.

Mulkun has been finding new ways to paint and promote nutritional plants that are no longer eaten widely. As a child there were very many healthy old people and now there are few. She blames poor diet and the loss of knowledge.

This work is a depiction of ṉämbarra the young leaves of Melaleuca are a prized medication for flus and colds as an inhalation as a poultice for sores and as a healthful body wash in solution.

Below is the Yolŋu dictionary entry for Ṉämbarra.

Meaning: tree – edible fruit leaves used medicinally. Paperbark sp., Melaleuca leucadendron. An abbreviation of ṉämbarra is: barrtjaray, dhulwu’, dhowirr, munuymunuy, walḏulu, wolk, wurrtjuḻu.

Language notes: D
Moiety: Dhuwa
Part of speech: n