Bonny Sampi

Bardi Elder
Lombadina, Kimberley, WA

Bonny Sampi was a Bardi Elder and an artist, born in Lombadina, north of Broome.

One of twelve children, he left home after the Second World War and found work in Broome as a deckhand on pearl luggers alongside Chinese, Malay and Japanese workers.

Moving on to become a stockman and drover, by the age of twenty one he was mustering cattle across three states, from the Kimberley plains through the Northern Territory to Queensland. For a brief moment, he was also a tent boxer.

Keen for a little extra cash, and with no grand plans or expectations, he began carving and painting boab nuts in the 1950s. Unique to the Kimberley, the carvings would become popular with tourists and evolve into a lifelong artistic passion for Bonny.

Memories of his adventures were an endless pipeline of inspiration. Engraving scenes from his pearling and droving days, etching birds and animals from his life on Country. Each one of them a unique work of art.

Using just a pocket knife, he carved over a thousand boab nuts in his lifetime. Today his creations can be found in collections across the globe.

Artist: Russell James

Size: 304cm x 152cm

Medium: Canvas

Artist: Russell James

Size: 304cm x 152cm

Medium: Canvas