Billy Wara facts for kids

Billy Wara (born around 1920, died November 2008) was an Aboriginal Australian artist. He was known for making amazing wooden sculptures. He was famous for carving goannas (a type of lizard) out of wood found in the central Australian desert. He carved these by hand and added cool patterns by burning designs into the wood. Billy Wara also made traditional hunting tools, like spears and spear-throwers.

Life Story

Billy Wara was born in a place called Aṟan, in the southwest of the Northern Territory. He and his family were part of the Pitjantjatjara people. They lived a traditional nomadic life, moving around the bush, until Billy was a young man.

He once met Harold Lasseter, a gold prospector, when he was about 12 years old. This was the first "whitefella" Billy had ever seen, and he thought Lasseter was a ghost! A painting of Billy giving Lasseter some figs is in a book called The People In Between.

When Billy was older, he and his family settled at Ernabella. This was a Christian mission at the time. He worked there building fences, digging wells, and looking after sheep. Later, he became an advisor for the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park. He helped with environmental and cultural issues.

Billy started carving wooden sculptures shortly after Maṟuku Arts and Crafts opened in 1984. He first made his sculptures at Muṯitjulu, inside the national park. Later, he set up a camp called an outstation at Umutju. This allowed him to work closer to his traditional homelands.

His Artwork

Billy Wara was best known for his wooden sculptures. These are called puṉu in the Pitjantjatjara language. He carved them by hand. Then, he used a hot wire stick to burn designs into the wood. This technique is called pyrography.

His most famous sculptures are of the perentie lizard. This is a large type of goanna found in central Australia. The perentie was also Billy Wara's totem. This means it was a special animal linked to his family and spiritual beliefs.

Billy's carvings of the perentie come from his Tjukurpa. This is a set of beliefs and stories from Australian Aboriginal mythology. It tells about his spiritual ancestor, the Wati Ngiṉṯaka. These stories explain how the ancestors' actions during the Dreamtime shaped the land and its people. The Wati Ngiṉṯaka Tjukurpa is very important to his family. It is also connected to Aṟan, where Billy was born.

Billy Wara's work has been shown in many exhibitions. These shows took place in Australia and other countries. His sculptures are kept in famous museums around the world. You can find them in the Powerhouse Museum and the Museum of Victoria in Australia. They are also in the National Gallery of Australia and the National Museum of Australia. Outside Australia, his art is in the National Museum of Ethnology (Japan) in Japan. It is also part of the Kelton Foundation in the United States.