Yurluurrp - cold weather April to September

"The Wantangka gradually goes away and Yurluurrp (cold weather) is coming.

The winter time foods include the Bush Tomato which is eaten when it is ripe and is bright yellow in colour. When it is dry it turns brown and can still be eaten. The dried yakatjirri can be ground and mixed with water to make a roll which is placed under the sun until dry. This roll can be stored.

We use the coolamon to carry the food around and for storage.

Bush Potato or Yarla is one of the main bush foods eaten on its own. It is cooked under the hot earth by placing the potato in the sand with hot coals on top.

The potato comes from a small shrub. We know when to dig for the potato because there are cracks on the earth along the root system leading to the potato. Sometimes the potato is shallow whilst other times it may be two metres into the ground.

The women go out to collect the yarla and use digging sticks, firstly to jab or hit the earth with the digging sticks listening for the hollow sound. If it is a hollow sound then they dig at that point to find the yarla.

During the colder months the kangaroo and goanna fatten up and they are best to eat at this time.

Throughout the year we notice two particular star constellations moving across the sky, they include The Seven Sisters and the Milky Way. We also feel the changing direction of the winds.

Knowledge about the weather is not secret business. You don't have to be a traditional owner of country to speak about the weather - it is the same as your culture: just everyday knowledge."

Lana, Rachel, Pansy, Trisha and Lindy, family members of the Walya Altjerre Aboriginal Corporation sharing cultural knowledge.