Nakita was taught to paint by her mother and
grandmother, who are both known for their colourful depictions of their
ancestral country in Utopia. She grew up learning about native plants that have healing properties, and these bush medicine plants are the subject of her brightly coloured canvases. Bush medicine is a
deeply significant part of life for Aboriginal people of the arid desert
regions, and song and ceremony is still performed to honour the spirit of the
medicinal plants. There are many ways that bush medicine can be prepared and
used to treat a variety of ailments – the leaves are often dried, crushed into
powder and mixed with animal fats or oils to make a topical balm, or boiled in
water so the healing vapours can be inhaled.