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1998
Language Group:Alyawarre
Country:Irrultja, Utopia Region, North East of Alice Springs, Northern Territory
Medium:Acrylic on Canvas
Subjects:Anaty (Desert Yam)
Tenallie began painting for Mbantua Gallery in December 2018. Her artworks depict the Anaty (desert yam or bush potato), a subject she enjoys collecting in her homeland. The Dreamtime story she represents comes from her grandfather's country.
Tenallie is the daughter of Natalie Mills Pwerle, who also paints the Anaty Dreaming. Her grandmother, Josepha Petrick, is a well-known artist with a long-standing career. Tenallie married Trinity Bird in 2013.
Tenallie paints the Anaty story from her father's country. This yam grows underground with its viny shrub growing above ground up to 1 metre high. The anaty is a tuber, or swollen root, of the shrub and tastes much like the common sweet potato. It can be eaten raw or cooked and is still a staple food for the desert aborigines where it can be harvested at any time of the year. Some can be found as big as a person's head.