Giant Moths

Situated between the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and the National Museum of Australia in Canberra are a number of large sculptures of moths. This seems like an odd choice of subject matter unless you know about Bogong Moths.

The sculptures were designed by Aboriginal artist Jim Williams and made in collaboration with Matthew Harding. They were commissioned in 2001 to celebrate the ongoing culture and history of the Ngunnawal people, who are the traditional owners of the area. The Ngunnawal and others gathered here to collect and feast on the moths.

Bogong Moths migrate annually and were an important source of food for the Ngunnawal. Millions of the creatures emerge in the spring along the Queensland - New South Wales border west of the Great Dividing Range and start heading for the Southern Alps where they will spend the summer hiding in caves and crevices to avoid the heat. Flying at night, they are attracted by the lights as they overfly Canberra, briefly invading the city. Supposedly each moth contains three times the fat of a Big Mac. Traditionally they are roasted to remove the wings and legs. They can be eaten immediately, or made into a paste that can be transported by nomadic people.

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