Deandra (Joyce) James

Maruku Arts

Deandra (Joyce) James is a young Pitjantjatjara woman who was born in the Western Australian town of Laverton and taken to Kaltukatjara (Docker River) when she was a baby. She now lives in Warakurna where she is working as a teacher with the Ngaatjatjarra Lands School. She enjoys painting and making Ininti seed necklaces. She started wood carving by assisting Dianne Golding and her late grandmother Tjukapati James with the making of ‘walking sticks’ which require days of hard work cutting and smoothing the wood to bring out the beauty of the two toned wood grain. Deandra also loves going hunting with her family and especially enjoys tjala, or sweet honey ants.