Seven Sisters, Acrylic on Canvas, 60x89cm, By Heath Tjangala Ramzan

 Original Indigenous hand-painting by Heath Tjangala Ramzan

This artwork relates to the journey of the seven sisters that make up the star cluster known as the Pleiades, in the constellation Taurus. Mythological stories of the Pleiades also cross many other cultures outside Australia – the story also appears in ancient Greek mythology. Observed from central Australia, the Pleiades star group rises above the horizon soon after sunset and keeps a low trajectory above the horizon. In the Seven Sisters story in Aboriginal Australia, the group of stars are Napaljarri sisters from one skin group. In the Warlpiri story of this Jukurrpa, the sisters are often represented carrying the Jampijinpa man Wardilyka, who is in love with the women. Then the morning star, Jukurra-jukurra, who is a Jakamarra man and who is also in love with the seven Napaljarri sisters, is shown chasing them across the night sky. Seven Sisters are running away from the Jampijinpa man, they travel across the land, and then from a steep hill they launch themselves into the sky in an attempt to escape. But the Jakamarra man follows the sisters into the sky, travelling in the form of a star seen in the Orion’s Belt star cluster, which is also seen as the base of the Big Dipper.

Every night the Seven Sisters launch themselves from earth into the night sky, and every night the Jampijinpa man follows after them across the sky. The traditional custodians in Central Australia for this story, called the Napaljarri-warnu Jukurrpa, are the skin groups of Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women, and skin groups of Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men. There are some parts of the Napaljarri-warnu Jukurrpa that are deeply connected to sacred men’s ceremonies. Professionally giclée printed on canvas or art paper.