Akul

Size: Paper Size: H780mm x W530mm, Image size:H395mm x W295mm

Medium: Monoprint

$480.00 (Incl GST)

Akul are a lovely, delicate seafood to eat. Since I was very young whenever I smell akul cooking it makes me run to the fire, hungry. They are found in the mud of the mangroves but their pale colour and size means they are impossible to see. When we see baby akul sitting on the surface of the mud it means there will be bigger ones below. We then get ankle deep in the mud and use our feet to find and gather them. We like to cook them over the fire, pulling the little bites of flesh out and tossing the shells behind us.

When we were kids we used to collect the shells after we’d finished and use them to play marbles and skittles. Nowadays I like to gather the empty shells and decorate them with designs and turn them into windchimes. If you know where to look you can find places where akul feasts that have been had for thousands of years all over the island.

Patima Warria

2024