Jack Wherra was born in his bush country between Kunmunya and Munja in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. From an early age he was recognised by his community as a talented stockman and linguist. Wherra was also a master boab nut carver, created his own illustrated books and after becoming famous in the 1960s, his artistic ability was likened to that of Albert Namatjirra.
Wherra was one of the group of Mowanjum artists who first began creating artefacts for sale to the developing Aboriginal art market in Perth and Sydney. In 1964 John McCaffrey, an American anthropologist visiting the Mowanjum Community, commissioned him to carve whatever he wanted for 3 months. The result was a series of 60 boab nut carvings that depicted a history of his experiences and cultural life. Some examples from this series of his carvings are held in the collection of the National Museum of Australia in Canberra.
