Milky Way Dreaming (1987) by Mary Dixon Nungarrayi, 172x134cm 1352MD

"Milky Way Dreaming (1987)" by Mary Dixon Nungarrayi, This painting was painted in September 1987 at the Centre for Aboriginal Artists, the government gallery. Mary was a ground breaking artist as she portrayed the Seven Sisters Dreaming of the Milky Way in a manner that we could understand and relate to, rather then sticking to the purely traditional u shape and concentric circles, which formed the basis for most paintings at the time. She was one of the first women to paint, often painting alongside her husband Colin Dixon Tjapanunga, whose painting is on the front cover of the Tjukurrpa book ¹ . Both Mary and Colin's paintings were shown at an exhibition at the Gaughin Museum on Tahiti in 1988.

The songlines of the Milky Way Dreaming have travelled from the far northern reaches of Arnhem Land down across the continent through central Australia and beyond. This is the story of the seven sisters. They were the mythological sisters of the Tjukurrpa. Today they can still be seen wandering across the skies at night as the constellation Pleiades.

Aboriginal people are very aware not only of their terrestial habitats but also of the heavenly bodies. In this painting, the seven sisters are depicted as two groups of seven women seated. Orion, ( Orion and Pleides ) was once a man who chased the sisters relentlessly, always seeking their favours. He is also depicted by the two concentric circles. The milky way of course is the mottle white stippled effect on the larger area of dark grey.

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1. Tjukurrpa - Desert Paintings of Central Australia
   by Roslyn Premont and Mark Lennard
   ISBN 0 642 13192