Fred Tjakamarra

Born		1st July 1926
Location		Tjapilyatjapilya and Yiiyapanta area
Skin		Tjakamarra
Language		Kukatja

Biography

Fred was born into a traditional lifestyle in the Warlpiri country that straddles the Northern Territory and Western Australian border. His first experience of white men was when he saw them droving cattle using camels, travelling through to Alice Springs. When he was young, he and his companions were herded onto a truck to be taken forcibly to an Aboriginal settlement in Alice Springs. He was able to escape with two companions when the truck made its stop for water.

Fred spent some time at the old Balgo Mission as a young man before taking up casual work as a stockman and station cook around the stations of the eastern Kimberley, particularly Flora Valley and Gordon Downs Station (Ringer Soak). An accident has left Fred with a weak hip, which pops out of joint and he sometimes has to take time out of a conversation to pop it back in. He walks with the aid of a stick and does a lot of his painting in a group.

Collections

Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA Laverty Collection Kluge Ruhe Collection, USA John Curtin Art Collection, Curtin University Helen Read Collection

Bibliography

1994		Johnson, V., The Dictionary of Western Desert Artists, Craftsman House, East Roseville NSW