When he was a young man, Wara and his family settled at Ernabella, a Presbyterian mission at the time. He worked building fences, digging wells, and as a shepherd and sheep shearer. Later, he served as an advisor for the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park on environmental and cultural issues. He began carving wooden sculptures shortly after Maṟuku Arts and Crafts opened in 1984. He originally made his sculptures at Muṯitjulu, in the national park. He later set up an outstation at Umutju, further south, so that he could work closer to his homelands.