Jet Express: the story of the Seven Sisters

The Seven Sisters is a creation story (Tjukurpa) about the constellations of Pleiades and Orion.

The sisters are the constellation of Pleiades and the other star Orion is said to be Nyiru or Myirunya (described as a lusty or bad man).

Nyiru is forever chasing the sisters known as the Kunkarunkara women as it is said that he wants to marry the eldest sister.

The seven sisters travel again and again from the sky to the earth to escape Nyiru’s unwanted attention. They turn into their human form to escape the persistent Nyiru, but he always finds them and they flee back to the sky.

As Nyiru is chasing the sisters he tries to catch them by using magic to turn into the most tempting kampurarpra (bush tomatoes) for the sisters to eat and the most beautiful lli (fig) tree for them to camp under. However, the sisters are too clever for Nyiru and outwit him as they are knowledgeable about his magic. They go hungry and run through the night rather than be caught by Nyiru.

Every now and again one of the women fall victim to his ways. It is said that he eventually 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 back into the sky to escape Nyiru, reforming the constellation.

About the artists

The artwork on this bus has been adapted from a collaborative painting by the women of the Ken family - Tjungkara Ken, Maringka Tunkin, Yaritji Young, Freda Brady and Melvina Young – artists from Amata community in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.

Artwork credit: Seven Sisters (2016) by Tjungkara Ken, Yaritji Young, Maringka Tunkin, Freda Brady & Melvina Young. Courtesy of Tjala Arts © the artists/licensed by Viscopy, 2016.