2 minute read
The cover
from Contact 14
Nyarluwarri, the Seven Sisters. Created by Wajarri artist Tania Dudgeon.
Aboriginal people have been studying the night sky for tens of thousands of years. The study is more than just an appreciation of the beauty of the Milky Way, it is a scientific study. The environmental knowledge and information contained within the stars is directly connected to what is happening on Country, in the sea and within culture.
Nyarluwarri (Seven Sisters) is in the Wajarri evening sky around Ngarlbugala (summertime).
Tania Dudgeon is a first cousin to Olive (Egan) Boddington, whose story is depicted in the painting (with permission from Leonie Boddington, Olive’s daughter).
As told by Olive Boddington: “When you look up at the Seven Sisters, you will see them very clearly: only one is always dull. The dull one is the one the old man is trying to catch but the six sisters are calling to her, telling her to hurry and stay close to them.”
This image features on the Nyarluwarri planisphere and is part of the Wajarri Aboriginal Astronomy Planisphere project, an initiative funded by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources, CSIRO, ICRAR and the SKAO.
