SEVEN SISTERS CREATION STORY BROUGHT TO LIFE IN DANCE IN THE GOLDFIELDS
BY TANGIORA HINAKI
The ancient creation story of the Seven Sisters was recently brought to life through dance, highlighting one of Australia’s oldest and most significant cultural narratives.
Last month, Kalaako woman Sharon Dimer from the Goldfields invited Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) elder Tjumoo to share the Seven Sisters dance. Tjumoo, known as the Gatekeeper of the Seven Sisters story, travelled to perform the dance and pass on its teachings.
“ I know every song for Seven Sisters across APY land, Tjumoo explained.
The Seven Sisters story, or Tjukurpa, connects to the Pleiades constellation and Orion, known as Nyiru. The tale tells of Nyiru, a persistent hunter, chasing the Kunkarunkara women (the Seven Sisters) across the land. Nyiru uses magic to try to trick them, turning them into tempting bush foods like tomatoes and figs. Despite his efforts, the sisters outsmart him time and again. One sister is briefly captured but escapes with the help of the eldest. Ultimately, the sisters return to the sky to form the Pleiades constellation, forever out of Nyiru’s reach.
The Seven Sisters dance is a powerful way to share this story, combining movement and song to reflect the sisters' journey and their escape from Nyiru. For Tjumoo, dancing is more than just a retelling; it is about preserving knowledge and passing it on to future generations.
Sharon Dimer said the invitation was about celebrating and sharing culture. “It just felt too close to my heart. It was beautiful to hear and see the song and dance live and to see the connection that I needed to learn and grow.”
“The reason why I invited Tjumoo, Mr Murray George, was due to an ancient calling that our songlines needed to be reconnected from Western Australia to South Australia. It was to fix a problem here that was broken in 1977 and needed to reconnect to our ancestral songlines.”
The performance was a reminder of the importance of stories in Aboriginal culture. They are not just myths but hold lessons, maps of the land, and a connection to the sky. Through storytelling, song, and dance, these traditions remain alive.
This kind of sharing ensures stories like the Seven Sisters Tjukurpa continue to inspire and teach across generations, connecting people to country, culture, and th