CompNet Systems

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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.

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Minyma Maalila-ku Ngura – Maalila’s Country

This is a story of a woman named Maalila travelling south to west. She stopped near Kanpi area to look for a place to stay, her ngura (country). She was digging a hole to hide, she was scared of the wati (men). Maalila was with her daughter, they all lived in the underground cave hiding. They went out to gather bush food to take back to the cave. They dig for rabbits, kuka (meat) and they take kuka and mai (food) and they save for later in the cave. They have something to eat.

Story told by Teresa Baker

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Kulata and Kali (Spear & Boomerang)

My father told me this story, it’s a dream he had. There was a man who was travelling for a long time. He was travelling with kulata (spear) and kali (boomerang) because someone was waiting there for fighting.

In the middle of the way someone came making problems and trouble. All the kulata gone, all the kali gone. That place is still there and the kangaroo and emu are still drinking there at that waterhole.

This is tjukurpa wiru – a good story. There are some stories I can’t tell you.

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Margaret’s Father’s Country

My father’s place is Mt. Liebe, sandhill country.  The Wanapi rests there under the surface of the creek.  When we go to visit that country, the Wanapi stirs underneath the ground and bubbles rise up in the water.  He is there to protect that place.  We speak to that Wanapi in our language and he knows then that it is us. It’s okay for us to be there and the bubbles settle back down.  Close to this creek is where the Arkaryi women are sitting.  This is an important women’s site.  I can’t speak too much about that, as it would be dangerous to disturb those women.

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Tjitji Tjuta Walytjata

This Tjukurpa is from a place called Walytjata near Pipalyatjara. It’s a true story. You can see all the kids sitting there in the cave. The mother left and told the kids to stay there, but she never came back. It’s a sad story. The older brother, he was looking after everyone. He would go out hunting for malu (kangaroo), kalaya (emu) and bring back the kuka (meat) for all the kids.

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Minyma Maalila-ku Ngura – Maalila’s Country

This is a story of a woman named Maalila travelling south to west. She stopped near Kanpi area to look for a place to stay, her ngura (country). She was digging a hole to hide, she was scared of the wati (men). Maalila was with her daughter, they all lived in the underground cave hiding. They went out to gather bush food to take back to the cave. They dig for rabbits, kuka (meat) and they take kuka and mai (food) and they save for later in the cave. They have something to eat.

Story told by Teresa Baker

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Likara (Bark)

Alison is a quiet observer. She often walks gently around the community with her daughter on her shoulders looking at nature. Something she has been paying attention to is the movement of light on the trees. ‘I see the colour on the tree and I see it is always changing. When the sun is going down, colour is moving all over the tree’. Her paintings are inspired by the light catching the shifts and wandering lines of the bark.

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Piltati

There were two sisters who married two brothers and they all lived together. One day the women went wandering and they went such a long way that they forgot about their husbands. Back at the camp, the two husbands were thinking, ‘Where are our wives?’ and they decided to go looking for them. One brother said to the other, ‘What should we become to go looking for them?’ and the other brother said ‘Why don’t we become Rainbow Serpents?’ And they travelled in the sky looking down for their wives. Finally they see them hunting for carpet snakes and they put something in the hole where the women were digging. The women find it and then dig another hole and once again the men have put something in there. And this is how the men lure the women back to Piltati where the men make the sisters transform into Wanampi, swallow them and keep .them in their throats. All four of them live together in the waterhole and still live there today.

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Dust Storm

Rachael comes from the third generation of Lionel women painting at Ernabella Arts. Rachael draws inspiration for her paintings from the stories and messages she receives through her dreams. This painting is a dream she has about a dust storm. She was out in the desert and could see the dust storm rolling towards her.

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Margaret’s Father’s Country

My father’s place is Mt. Liebe, sandhill country.  The Wanapi rests there under the surface of the creek.  When we go to visit that country, the Wanapi stirs underneath the ground and bubbles rise up in the water.  He is there to protect that place.  We speak to that Wanapi in our language and he knows then that it is us. It’s okay for us to be there and the bubbles settle back down.  Close to this creek is where the Arkaryi women are sitting.  This is an important women’s site.  I can’t speak too much about that, as it would be dangerous to disturb those women.