Aboriginal painting - Paddy Jampin Jaminji, Paddy Jaminji, The Hills of Bedford Station, pre 1995

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Historical information

In around 1924 a band of Gija people crossed fences onto their traditional land near Bedford Downs Station in the East Kimberley 2000 km northeast of Perth and killed nine head of cattle. This act precipitated one of the massacres to become known as the 'killing times'.

Paddy Quilty, the station owner of Bedford Downs had his men collect wagon loads of firewood which was distributed around the camp. He then invited everyone to assemble for their rations. The food, laced with strychnine, was handed out.
As the Gija people fell down dying in agony, they were shot. The firewood was used to burn the bodies. One boy escaped to the the story.
Paddy Jamin Jaminji (c.1922-1997) painted The Hills of Bedford Downs Station as part of a series of painting about the Killing Times. It depicts the story and sites of the massacre. At least twelve killing sites are recorded within a radius of 150 km of Turkey Creek, WA.
The painting was possibly discarded due to its damage in one corner and later collected from an old shelter at Warmun on a field trip by collector Neil McLeod in 1995.