Dadda Samson (c.1933-2020) was a Kartujarra woman and a senior custodian of the lands surrounding Jigalong. She was born at a windmill near Old Jigalong, a ration depot that was situated along the Rabbit Proof Fence preceding the establishment of Jigalong Mission. Before Dadda was born, her parents and brothers lived in the country around Jilukurru (Killagurra Spring, Canning Stock Route Well 17). She walked around this Country with her mother, father and three brothers, visiting sites including Kumpu, Mungkulu, Pinpi (Durba Springs), Pulyapulya (Sunday Well), and Puntawarri.
In the late 1930s, Dadda’s family left the desert and walked to Jigalong Mission. She went to school at the mission. Later, she worked on stations including Sylvania Station with her first husband, a camel handler, and then with her second husband, an excellent horseman, rancher, and cattle drover, both of whom she outlived. Until her death Dadda continued to live at Jigalong, with her children and many grandchildren, as a highly respected senior of the community.
Dadda was one of the pioneering painters at Martumili Artists. As she set about her earliest works, she immersed herself in the songs that describe the Jukurrpa [Dreaming] of the Country that she authoritatively represents.
Photograph by Tobias Titz.