Walter Whall Battiss, a South African artist who lived from 6 January 1906 to 20 August 1982, is best recognized for having invented the idea of “Fook Island.” Battiss was born in Somerset East, a Karoo town, into an English Methodist family. His early interests in archeology and tribal art began when he was a little child, following his 1917 relocation to Koffiefontein.