Jack Karedada (also spelled Karadada): Master of the Wandjina on Bark
Jack Karedada, sometimes rendered Karadada, stands as a preeminent master of Kimberley’s Wandjina bark painting tradition. Born circa 1920 and deceased in 2003, he belonged to the Wunambal‑speaking peoples, whose country lies between the Prince Regent River and the King Edward River in the north‑west Kimberley. His clan, deriving the name Karadada from the butcherbird totem, served as a wellspring of cultural creativity.
As an initiated elder, Jack was both a cultural custodian and artistic virtuoso. Though his early life remains largely undocumented, he likely lived in traditional practice until relocating to the Kalumburu mission by the 1960s—a period that preceded the flourishing of Wandjina bark painting as a commercial form.
If you have a bark painting by Jack Karedada and are considering selling, I would be pleased to hear from you.
Alternatively, if you’re simply curious to know what your painting might be worth on the current market—or what it’s worth to me personally—you’re most welcome to send through a JPEG image. I’d genuinely love to see it.
Whether you’re looking to sell or just learn more about your work, I’m always happy to assist.
Signature Style & Identifying Features
For anyone wishing to determine if a bark painting is by Jack Karedada, the following stylistic characteristics are essential:
- Eyes: Distinctively small, and touching or joined at the center, with only a single short brush‑stroke delineating the nose—absent or minimal mouth.
- Figure Composition: Depicted from the waist up, Wandjina figures typically have no legs—a stylistic choice markedly different from those by peers like Alec Mingelmanganu, whose figures may exhibit larger eyes and slightly different proportions.
- Halo or Aura: Jack’s Wandjinas are framed by an enclosed halo, formed with a continuous brush stroke—unlike those of his brother Kutwit Manila, whose halos are free‑ended.
- Format and Framing: His works often appear on an arched piece of bark, framed at the top and sides with bentwood
- Bush Sprites: A number of Karedada’s paintings also show the little bush sprites that were sometimes painted as support figures
- Aura & Presence: Jack’s works radiate what has been described as a raw supernatural presence, reflective of his cave‑painting origins—a quality lending both authenticity and market esteem.
Compared to other Karedada family members—such as Lily or Rosie—Jack’s corpus is more seldom encountered, hence scarcer, and often more highly valued.
Art Historical Context
The late 1960s and early 1970s marked a pivotal moment: artists such as Alec Mingelmanganu, Charlie Numbulmoore, and Jack Karedada began painting age‑old Wandjina motifs on string bark—heralding a new chapter in Aboriginal art. These works quickly attracted attention through mission networks and exhibitions.
In 1975, Alec Mingelmanganu’s Wandjina bark, entered as “Australian Gothic” at the Derby Boab Festival Art Competition, garnered attention and kindled artistic activity at Kalumburu.
Shortly thereafter, the first exhibition of Wandjina bark paintings was held in Perth by Traditional Aboriginal Arts in Perth and included works by Jack and his wife Lily, introducing their powerful ancestral imagery to a wider audience.
Jack was a cultural pioneer alongside figures such as Charlie Numbulmoore, Wattie Karruwara, and Mickey Bungkuni, laying the foundations for Wandjina bark painting as both tradition and art market force.
Biography
Jack Karedada, sometimes spelled Karadada, was an Aboriginal Australian artist, believed to have been born around 1920. He was a member of the Wunambal-speaking peoples, based in the northwest Kimberley region between the Prince Regent River and the King Edward River.His family hailed from Cape Voltaire (Wulangku). Their clan totem was the butcherbird (“karadada”), which gave the family its name.
Very little is known about Jack Karedadas early life but he likely lived a traditional lifestyle until the 1960’s when he moved to Kalumburu mission station.
According to Kim Akerman Prior to the 1970’s very few artists names or affiliations were recorded when paintings were collected with the exception of Charlie numbelmoore, Wattie Karuwara and Mickey Bungkuni.
In 1974 Alec Mingelmanganu made a Wandjina on bark that was then discarded and picked up by Kim Akerman who entered it into the 1975 Derby Boat week art show which it won. This caused a buzz of excitement in Kalumburu and catalysed other artists to paint Wandjina on bark.
In Mid 1970’s the first exhibition of art and artefacts from Kalubaru was held in Perth by Aboriginal traditional Arts and jack Karadada was one of the four artists who were invited to attend.
In 1979 Mary Macha held a series of arts and craft workshops throughout the Kimberley and introduced artists to european fixatives. Mary Macha selected artists that she though had a particular talent and encouraged them to paint. Jack karedada was one of these select artists.
Market Significance
Jack Karedada’s paintings attract strong interest among collectors of Kimberley bark art. While the majority of his works sell in the range of US $1,300 to $15,000. One exceptional painting by Jack sold for over US $100,000, but this was an outlier. That particular piece had superb provenance, strong visual impact, and deep cultural significance. It should not be taken as the typical value of his works.
In general, Jack Karedada’s paintings are considered rare and desirable, especially compared to works by other members of the Karedada family. His position as a pioneer Wandjina painter and an initiated elder adds considerable cultural and market weight to his name.
Namarali and the Creation of Country
This work draws its title and subject from a foundational myth of the Worrorra people, whose ancestral territories span the dramatic coastline between the Prince Regent River and Doubtful Bay in the West Kimberley. At the heart of this cosmology is Namarali (also spelt Namarlee), one of the most senior and revered Wandjina ancestral beings. In this mythic narrative, Namarali, accompanied by other Wandjinas, sculpts the coastline through a pursuit and battle over a transformative being—the female Rock Cod.
One of the most significant ceremonial sites tied to this ancestral drama lies within the monumental rock shelter at Ngumbri (Raft Point). The anthropologist Ian Crawford recorded a version of this story, in which Namarali, in his relentless pursuit of the Rock Cod, confronts betrayal, mortal injury, and spiritual transfiguration. Speared fatally during a Wandjina conflict, Namarali is carried away by his kin, who prepare his final resting place on a ceremonial tree platform, marking the moment he established law for the treatment of the dead. His image, painted onto the rock face, consecrated the site and the ritual that would follow.
The Karedada family, whose ancestral lands lie at Cape Voltaire (Wulangku), hold direct cultural lineage to this mythology. Their clan’s primary totemic affiliation is with the butcherbird (karadada), from which their name is derived. Their patrilineal moiety affiliations include the spotted nightjar (wodoi) and the brolga (kurangkuli), while the reciprocal totems—owlet nightjar (Jiringgun) and bustard (banar)—are especially significant to female custodians such as Lily and Rosie Karedada.
In the hands of Jack Karedada, such narratives become more than images—they are law, memory, and ancestral truth rendered in ochre and bark.
I acknowledge Tim Klingender and Kim Akerman for the above information.
All images in this article are for educational purposes only.
This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which was not specified by the copyright owner.
Recommended Reading
Jack Karedada Bark Paintings Images
The following bark painting are not a complete list of works but give a further feel for the variety and style of this artist.
