Helen Dale Samson

Martu woman Helen Dale Samson, was born at Jigalong mission, circa 1943. The mission was originally established as a support store for workers constructing the Rabbit-Proof Fence. This iconic landmark gained international renown following Phillip Noyce’s film adaptation of Doris Pilkington Garimara’s book, Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence.

With no memory of her parents, Samson grew up at the Christian mission, heading to the bush to hunt and camp with extended family on weekends and during holidays. After she married, Samson lived around Puntawarri, a now abandoned community between Jigalong and the Canning Stock Route.

Fluctuating between figurative and abstract styles, Samson paints the ancestral Jukurrpa (Dreaming stories) of her Country around Karlamilyi and Puntawarri. Samson’s work often depicts contemporary Martu life in a post-colonial setting, incorporating motifs such as houses and heavy industrial vehicles alongside important Martu sites.