Sam Woolagoodja, was responsible for repainting the sacred Wandjinas in many of the rock shelters that dot the Kimberley landscape, and was among the first to paint the sacred stories on bark and board to bring the events of Lalai to the children now living far from their homelands. The Worora of the north-west Kimberley are the people of the Wandjinas and they have retained an unbroken connection to their land and the living cosmology of Lalai - the Dreaming. The power of Lalai was manifest most visibly in the dazzling giant Wandjina that presided over the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, designed by Sam Woolagoodja's son, Donny Woolagoodja.
Sam Woolagoodja grew up under the influence of Reverend J. R. B. Love, a missionary with a genuine respect for the Worora people and who sought both to merge Indigenous and Christian beliefs as well as provide the people with skills that would be valued in the white culture. The result of this and the work of leaders such as Sam Woolagoodja was the development of many articulate and talented artisans, story-tellers and advocates of Aboriginal culture.
Source: Keeping the Wanjinas Fresh (2005)
