Clever Man: The Life of Paddy Compass Namadbara Paperback ? March 22, 2021

Clever Man: The Life of Paddy Compass Namadbara offers a unique perspective on the life and making of this Aboriginal Western Arnhem clever man or marrkidjbu. Born at the end of the 19th Century when the Western world had scarcely touched Arnhem Land, Paddy Compass Namadbara acted as a healer for his countrymen and became a powerful and revered leader. Using his clever abilities and wisdom to nurture his community, he enabled the community to deal with the cultural and social changes of the encroaching Western world. He achieved the reputation of being one of the most powerful and clever of traditional marrkidjbu described as ‘a proper number one champion!’ Based on stories told by the people he helped, some profoundly and in extraordinary ways. This unique biography looks at his life through the eyes of his Western Arnhem countrymen who witnessed his extraordinary abilities. Ian White, researcher and compiler for Clever Man: The Life of Paddy Compass Namadbara, encourages readers to give greater consideration to the reality of the extraordinary abilities of clever people such as Paddy Compass.

After completing a BA and a BLitt in anthropology and archaeology at the Australian National University, Ian White was engaged as the West Arnhem Region anthropologist with the Northern Land Council from 1987 until he retired in 2011. For much of the time he was based in the township of Jabiru within the Kakadu National Park on the border of Arnhem Land. In 1995 he took two years’ leave from the Land Council and enrolled as a Master of Arts candidate in anthropology at the University of Western Australia. In this time he undertook the main fieldwork on which the Paddy Compass Portrait is based. He married a West Arnhem woman, a daughter of the renowned Aboriginal artist, the late Bardayal Nadjamerrek, AO. They have a daughter who is also an artist in the style of her grandfather. Since retiring he has devoted much time to exploring the many avenues of scientific and philosophical research that may begin to throw light on the question of ‘the powers of the mind,’ a question that is raised by the story of Paddy Compass Namadbara.