Sam Meptyan Dixon

“My Uncle teach me. I am the bush doctor and this is me, painted and dancing… Put him in your house, make you healthy” Senior Anmatyerr man Sam Jampijnpa Mpetyan Dixon shares the story of Ngangker, the Bush Doctor. A traditional healer, Ngangker cares for the sick using ancestral practices, working with the hands to remove pain, illness, and bad feelings from the body. Sam, traditionally a wood carver, shares his history and his surroundings, creating figures of stockmen, birds, bush tucker and self portraits of him as Ngangker, the bush doctor. “I mix up earth and glue to make paint." Following a recent workshop hosted by On Country at Utopia Art Centre, he has expanded his practice to explore new sculptural techniques and materials. These works extend Sam’s practice into new forms, while remaining grounded in the strong cultural story of Ngangker.