B. K. Davidson (dec.)

Karrika Belle Davidson, a Pitjantjatjarra woman, was born around 1942 near Papulankutja (Blackstone). When she was a child her mother died and Karrika, her sister Tjawina Roberts and brother Tjurparu Watson were taken to Warburton mission by family. Karrika learnt to read and write at the mission and has fond memories of her time there. She frequently went back to the country where she was taught how to survive in the desert and the tjukurpa associated with it. When Karrika was sixteen, she went to live with family at Patinintjara, the first community established at Papulankutja, where she worked as a house maid for the manager of the established nickel mine. Karrika recalls camping in the bush near Warburton with her first son and other Yanangu as a young mother when the atomic bombs were detonated at Maralinga. She and others became very ill and were picked up by a native patrol truck and driven to Warburton mission where sick Yanangu were lying in every building, including the school classrooms. Karrika is a founding member of Irrunytju Arts and Chair of Ngaanyatjarra Media. She is an excellent story-teller and knows the complex layers of many of the tjukurpa that traverse and intersect in the region. She lived with her family in Irrunytju where she works as a painter, translator and producer of short documentaries about local culture. Karrika has been involved in many events including the development of inma performances and participating in the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Mrs. Bell passed away in 2017 at her home in Papulankutja.