Thomas Tjapaltjarri
| Thomas Tjapaltjarri | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Tamayinya Tjapangati c. 1964 Marruwa, Western Australia |
| Residence | Hoppy's Camp, near Alice Springs, Kiwirrkurra, Western Australia |
| Nationality |
 Australian
|
| Other names | Tamlik |
| Occupation | Painter |
| Years active | late 1980s – present |
| Organization | Papunya Tula |
| Style | Western Desert art |
| Parent(s) | Lanti, or "Joshua" (father) Nanu Nangala (mother) |
| Relatives |
Yalti Napangati Yukultji Napangati Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri Walala Tjapangati Topsy Napaltjarri Takariya Napaltjarri |
Thomas Tjapaltjarri (born Tamayinya Tjapangati, also often known as Tamlik) is an Australian Aboriginal artist. He and his brothers Warlimpirrnga and Walala have become well known as the Tjapaltjarri Brothers. Thomas and his family became known as the last group of Aborigines to come into contact with modern, European society. They came out of the desert in 1984, and became known as "the last nomads".
Thomas was born in the desert of Western Australia sometime in the 1960s. He and his family lived a traditional nomadic way of life on the western side of Lake Mackay. They had never come into contact with European society. Most other Pintupi families had been settled in remote towns to the east and west of their traditional country during the 1950s. Thomas' father, Lanti (or "Joshua"), had lived for a short time at the mission in Balgo, but he had run away after getting into trouble for stealing food. It was his decision to stay in the desert, and kept his family far away from the towns.
Thomas' mother was named Nanu. He also had two other mothers, Papunya and Watjunka, who were his father's secondary wives. He had two younger sisters, Yalti and Yukultji, a younger half-brother Walala, and four other "siblings" (cousins by blood relation). His father died sometime around 1980. The family finally came into contact with outsiders in October 1984, and were settled at Kiwirrkurra. The event was big news at the time, and the family became famously known as "the last nomads". Thomas was diagnosed with epilepsy shortly after this.
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