The Seven Sisters - Dreamtime Story

Seven Sisters Dreamtime Story: An Aboriginal Tale of Love, Pursuit, and Stars

The Seven Sisters Dreamtime story is a deeply significant Aboriginal narrative, rich with themes of love, desire, danger, and perseverance. This story follows an Ancestral Being, a man in hot pursuit of seven sisters from the Napaljarri family group. As the young women flee, they travel across vast lands - from Western Australia through the APY Lands, and into Central Australia and Warlpiri country. Their journey spans multiple Aboriginal communities, language groups and landscapes. In the end, the sisters escape by transforming into stars in the Pleiades cluster. Meanwhile the Jakamarra man, now the Morning Star, continues his endless pursuit.

Discover Seven Sisters Dreaming artworks by renowned Indigenous artists at Kate Owen Gallery, each piece capturing the beauty and depth of this Dreamtime story.

Explore Artworks

Tracing the Journey of the Ancestral Women

This Dreamtime story is one of love, pursuit, and escape. It follows a group of ancestral women as they flee from Wati Nyiru, the Jakamarra man, who is deeply infatuated with them.

However, under the traditional Aboriginal kinship system, Nyiru belongs to the wrong skin group to marry them, making his pursuit forbidden. Despite this cultural restriction, Nyiru relentlessly pursues them across the rugged landscape of Central Australia and the Northern Territory.

To escape him, the young women use their powers to shape the land, creating rockholes, sandhills, and rocky outcrops around their homeland. In a final, desperate move, the sisters dive into a rock hole and ascend to the heavens, transforming into stars.

Nyiru follows them but is left behind, forever chasing them across the night sky. His pursuit is symbolized by the Morning Star (Jukurra-jukurra), while the ancestral women shine as the Pleiades.

Symbolism of the Pleiades Star Cluster

The Pleiades star cluster, visible in the night sky within the constellation Taurus, represents the Napaljarri women. In Aboriginal culture, this group of stars holds deep significance - not only as part of the Dreamtime story, but also for its symbolism in sacred ceremonies. The sisters' journey is immortalized in the night sky, while the Jakamarra man, as the Morning Star, continues his endless chase.

This star knowledge is part of a rich tradition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander astronomy. Long before European astronomy, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples developed their own complex understandings of the night sky. 

For Torres Strait Islanders, the stars are a crucial navigational tool, used for sea voyages between the Torres Strait Islands, the Australian mainland, and Papua New Guinea. The Pleiades are particularly important to Meriam people from Murray Island, who begin their long sea voyages in outrigger canoes when the Pleiades appear in mid-October, signaling good weather.

Artistic Interpretations of the Seven Sisters Dreaming

Each artist's interpretation of this Dreaming offers a unique perspective on this ancient story. Andrea Adamson's Seven Sisters Dreaming depicts their escape and the creation of the landscape around her home.

Athena Nangala Granites' Yanjirlpirri or Napaljarri-Warnu Jukurrpa connects this ancestral Dreaming with Star Dreaming, highlighting the sacred link between the cosmos and men’s ceremonies.

Gabriella Possum Nungurrayi's Grandmother’s Country and Seven Sisters Dreaming reflect a deep spiritual connection to this Dreaming. She inherited these stories from her mother and grandmother, while her father, the renowned Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, also passed them down to her.

The Sacred Site of Yanjirlypiri: Star Dreaming and Initiation Ceremonies

In Star Dreaming stories, Yanjirlypiri (the star) holds great significance, especially in the initiation of young men. West of Yuendumu, this sacred site is where boys undergo ‘kurdiji’ ceremonies as part of their passage into adulthood. These ceremonies highlight the deep connection between the stars and the land, reinforcing the spiritual bond between Aboriginal people and the cosmos.

Learn More About Seven Sisters Aboriginal Art

Did you know?

Mythological stories of the Pleiades appear across many cultures outside Australia. In Greek mythology, the Pleiades were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who were pursued by Orion before being transformed into stars.

The Pleiades are recognized by many Aboriginal groups. However, in northern Arnhem Land, Groote Eylandt, and the Torres Strait Islands, the stars are seen differently, highlighting the diverse cultural interpretations across Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.