Shorty Jangala Robertson Australian, Warlpiri, b. 1925

Shorty Jangala Robertson was born at Jila (Chilla Well), a large soakage and claypan northwest of Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community located 290 kms north-west of AliceSprings in the NT of Australia. He lived a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle with his parents,older brother and extended Warlpiri family. They travelled vast distances across desert country,passing through Warlukurlangu, south west of Jila and Ngarlikurlangu, north of Yuendumu,visiting Jangala’s, his skin brothers. His childhood memories consist of stories associated withthe Coniston massacre of Aboriginal people. Families were also shot at Wantaparri, close toJila. Shorty Jangala Robertson had virtually no contact with white fellas during his youth butremembered leaving Jila for Mt Theo ‘to hide’ from being shot. His father died at Mt Theo. Hemoved with his mother to Mt Doreen Station, and subsequently the new settlement ofYuendumu. During World War II, the army took people from Yuendumu to the other Warlpirisettlement at Lajamanu. Shorty was taken and separated from his mother; however, shecame to get him on foot and together they travelled hundreds of miles back to Chilla Well.Drought foodand medical supplies forced Shorty and his family back to Yuendumu frommetotime. His working life was full of adventure and hard work for different enterprises in the AliceSprings and Yuendumu areas. He finally settled at Yuendumu in 1967 after the AustralianCizen Referendum. It is extraordinary in all his travels and jobs over his whole working life, thathe escaped the burgeoning and flourishing Central Desert art movement of the 1970’s and1980’s. Thus Shorty’s paintings are fresh, vigorous andnew. His use of colour to paint andinterpret his dreamings of Ngapa (Water), Watiyawarnu (Acacia), Yankirri (Emu) and Pamapardu(Flying Ant) is vital, yet upholding the Warlpiri tradition. Shorty was well in his 70’s when hestarted painting. He was an active member of the Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Association,an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. His first solo exhibition atAlcaston Gallery in 2003 was met with great artistic acclaim. Since then he exhibited inAboriginal Art Exhibtions in Australia and overseas.He passed awayinSeptember2014 on a sunny Sunday mornin