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Kungkarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters)

‘Kungkarrangkalpa’ (The Seven Sisters or Pleaides) is significant Tjukurrpa (dreamtime). Its origins you may be familiar with in astronomy and its connection to ‘Wati Nyiru’ (Magic Man or Orion).  The roots of this dreaming stems across indigenous groups around the world. The Australian Aboriginal songline is one part to the whole dreaming which can be traced all around the world. The ladies of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands depict their significant chapter and understanding of the journey of the sisters. The different versions of this story depend on where you live and the significance’s of local Tjukurrpa places.

Nyiru fell in love with the sisters but he was of the wrong skin group to marry, but he still pursued them on their journey. The sisters travel across the land to escape Nyiru’s unwanted attentions, but he is persistent and always finds them. There are significant land forms which can be sited today that evidence this dreaming. As Nyiru is chasing the sisters he tries to catch them by using magic to turn into the most tempting kampurarrpa (bush tomato) and the most beautiful Yirli (wild fig tree), for them to eat and camp under. However, the sisters are knowledgeable of his magic and too clever for Nyiru who they outwit again and again. They go hungry and run through the night rather than be caught by him. As the journey continues, Nyiru gets so frustrated at the wit of the sisters that he uses his magic to make the oldest sister sick to try and get closer to her. The other sisters rescue the big sister and nurse her back to health. It is said he also captures the youngest sister, but with the help of the oldest sister, she escapes back to her sisters who are waiting for her. Eventually, the sisters fly into the sky to escape Nyiru, forming the constellation. Nyiru felt lonely, longing for the sisters who were so far away. Nyiru used his magic to go to the sky, forever in pursuit.

Categories: Papulankutja Artists

Name: Delilah Ngarapai Lane

Language: Ngaanyatjarra

Community: Mantamaru (Jameson)

Biography:

An impressive emerging artist born into a strong line of family painters. As a young child, Delilah would listen to stories of the seven sisters and hunting while her mother would prepare meals from the days hunt and her grandmother would paint. In her artworks she creates beautiful visual narratives of life on the land, She also paints Lake Louis, her mother's country, Lake Baker and Waburton. The colours are an important part of Delilah's work and demonstrate a keen eye for contrast and storytelling.

Delilah was raised by her grandmother, Dora Lane (nee Richards) in Wannan. Her mother was unable to care for her due to alcohol addiction. Her grandmother’s father was Ngaanyatjarra from Wannan and her mother was Pintubi from Papunya way. Her grandmother had moved south after running away from a promised husband in Papunya, walking from Papunya to Kintore, Kiwirrkurra before arriving in Karilwara (Patjarr).

Dora (deceased) was a traditional woman and artist and has paintings in the Warburton Arts Collection. Delilah’s grandmother taught her about country, hunting and painting. They would go hunting regularly for bush tucker such as maku (witchetty grubs), tinka (goanna) and rabbit as well as collecting many edible plants. She attended schools in Wanarn, Warburton, Warakuna and Mantamaru (Jameson). Delilah learned to paint when she was little and once she did a painting with her grandmother.

When Delilah flies in the small plane flying between Laverton and Warburton she looks down on her grandfather’s country, Lake Baker and think about it being good country with the plants, the lovely flowers, the rockholes and sandhills.

She did paint Wanambi or ‘water snake’ (also known as Rainbow Serpent) a very big Tjukurrpa (ancestral creation story) that traverses Australia but has decided to stop “it might come and get me, I’ll leave it”.

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