Indian yellow was rumoured to have been made by force feeding cows mango leaves and then distilling their urine! The cheapest natrual dye today is Tumeric but Saffron gives the best colour although it is an expensive crop. Apparently it is a natural Prozac but if you consume too much you might die of immoderate laughter! You were warned!
Yellow ochre is still sacred to the Aboriginal tribes – red ochre being the most sacred. Before the 1930’s – 60’s, Aboriginal’s were more likely to share the traditional stories that these rituals were based upon, but these days, having learnt the hard way, they won’t let foreigners in. Still to this day Aboriginal women are not allowed to be spoken to about Ochre and are not allowed to watch the rituals.Ochre is still sacred and the places where it can be mined are kept secret.
