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Kungkarangkalpa / Seven Sisters

Kungkarangkalpa means the Seven Sisters. This is an extensive creation story that relates to the Pleiades constellation in the southern hemisphere. The story traverses Australia taking on different forms, however local women are privy to the part of the story which takes place in the country near Ernabella. For this part of the story, the man called Nyiru is chasing the sisters as he wants to sleep with the oldest sister. All the younger sisters are deeply afraid of him. As Nyiru is chasing the sisters, he tries to catch them by using magic to turn himself into the most tempting bush tomatoes for the sisters to eat and the most beautiful ili (fig) tree for the sisters to camp under. However, the sisters are aware of his magic and go hungry and run through the night rather than be caught by Nyiru. Eventually, to escape Nyiru, the sisters fly into the sky where they turn into stars and form the constellation.

Categories: Ernabella Arts Inc.

Name: Marissa Angapiya Thompson

Language: Pitjantjatjara

Community: Pukatja

Biography:

Marissa was born in 1985 and grew up between her family's homeland and Ernabella. She attended Kenmore Park Anangu School. Her father was an integral part of the APY Land Rights Movement, and her mother, Carlene Thompson is a former Ernabella Arts chairwoman and a senior Ernabella artist. Marissa has four sisters, three of whom are also practising artists at the art centre. She has two young children with her partner.

Marissa completed her first painting at Ernabella Arts in 2007 and her first ceramic work in 2009. She was an integral part of the first two workshops at Ernabella of the Indigenous Jewellery Project. Her jewellery work incorporates resin, traditional timber carvings and designs cast in silver. Her jewellery was exhibited at the Jam Factory as part of the Tarnanthi Festival in 2015.  

Marissa’s artistic style in both ceramics and painting is incredibly precise. Her work often depicts tatgu (gumnuts), kurparu (magpies), tjanpi (grass) and sometimes branches out into minyma inma (womens ceremony), tadpoles, the rainbow serpent and maku (witchetty grubs). Marissa is also a skilled ceramic hand builder.

Marissa's ceramics continue to be exhibited throughout Australia and overseas including Belgium and Macau in 2021.

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