Indigenous Style Icon: Eva Wanganeen (Kokatha, Wirringu, Arrente)
Eva has an amazing story, check it out—and don’t forget to browse her gorgeous collection of silk scarves and paintings!
My name is Eva Wanganeen, I am an Indigenous Australian and a descendent of the Arrente and Kokatha people on my grandmother Eva Kites’ side. My grandmothers father, Billy Kite was one of twins and born near Macoomba station near Oodnadata in the far north of South Australia. Traditionally because of the harshness of the region, scarce resources and cultural practices only one twin could be carried and fed, so the other had to be left behind, which in this case was my grandmothers father, Billy. He was found by a stockman and raised at Macoomba station and became a stockman himself. Billys’ parents and the other twin traveled north, the other twin was believed to have been sighted many years later at Sante Teresa in central Australia, then a mission. My mother Lena Warriors’ father gives me a connection to the Wiringu people near Ceduna.
My fathers’ peoples’ traditional country is from the River Murray region. His great grandfather James Wanganeen was the first recorded Wanganeen, a traditional man from the river Murray region in S.A. and he was removed and eventually relocated at Poonindie Mission at Pt. Lincoln, later the Wanganeen family was moved to Point Pearce mission. In those days it was common practice to remove the Indigenous people from their traditional land to missions to allow white settlers to take over that land. My father Edwin Wanganeen was born at the Point Pearce mission and married my mother Lena Warrior. I was born at the nearby Wallaroo hospital in 1952 and have three sisters and five brothers.
I spent a lot of time in hospital up till I was a teenager but I was allowed to go home between operations and I have many happy memories at Point Pearce because of my family there.Â
I met my husband Colin, who is originally from England, when I was seventeen. We were married in 1971 and our daughter Kiah (Aboriginal name meaning beautiful) was born in 1973. It was not until our daughter left home that I began my journey of discovery as an artist. My husband and I now live in the beautiful Daintree Rainforest and Kiah in nearby Cairns.
I feel my life has been blessed since I was born with spina bifida and the doctors told my parents I would never walk nor have children. My wonderful grandfather (Eva Kites second husband), Gilbert, would not believe the doctors and encouraged me to take steps by standing me against a wall and twirling a tobacco tin in front of me so I would move towards it. Eventually I walked. And of course Colin and I had a beautiful daughter.
