John Jupurrurla Nelson / Seven Sisters Dreaming (3352-19)

Artwork is accompanied by Warlukurlangu Artists (Yuendumu) Art Centre Certificate of Authenticity/Provenance

“I started painting back in the prison in Alice Springs, with my dreaming, following my Fathers footsteps with all the stories of my Dad and grandfather and dot painting. I come from the Tanami Desert, Central Australia, my father was a very well known artist – the Nelson family are all painters. I used to watch in 1981 when my father was alive, he did dot painting – I need to keep this culture alive, the stories to tell and the dreaming. I thought I want to be a painter when I was young. On my Mothers side, I know very well too – she paints with lines, she is a very old lady in Yuendumu and I paint my Mothers side dreaming too. I know that story Star Dreaming from my Mothers side. I am the only one from my brothers and sisters now, who knows and can paint these stories – I am going to keep on doing this”.

The country in this painting is Yanjirlpiri, a small hill to the west of Yuendumu. Yanjirlpiri has a number of water soakages, including Pulpa and Lungkukurra, and ‘rockholes, including Walka, Ngarnamirdi, Jangarnka, and Warnapirri. The name ‘yanjirlpiri’ means ‘star’ in Warlpiri.

The importance of this place cannot be overemphasized, as young boys are brought here to be initiated from as far away as Pitjantjatjara country to the south and from Lajamanu to the north. This Dreaming site is part of a set of major Dreaming tracks that begin in the north at Kurlungalinpa and travel southward through Purrpalala, Ngarlpiyi (a soakage), Pangka (a soakage), Rlipinpa (a soakage), Purlkurru (a soakage), Warnirripatu (rockholes), Yirrinpi (a soakage), Manjankurrku (a soakage), and Kunajarrayi to Yanjirlpiri. The Dreamings then move further west to Lappi Lappi and Yininti-walku-walku, near Lake Mackay by the West Australian border. These Dreamings include Womens’ Dreaming, Snakevine Dreaming, Ceremonial Pole Dreaming and Two Men Dreaming). Yanjirlpiri is also important due to its association with a major Brush-Tailed Possum Dreaming. Much of the ceremonial knowledge surrounding Yanjirlpiri is protected.

This painting tells of the journey of Japaljarri and Jungarrayi men who travelled from Kurlungalinpa (near Lajamanu) to Yanjirlpiri, and then on to Lake Mackay on the West Australian border. Along the way they performed ‘kurdiji’ (initiation ceremonies) for young men. Napaljarri and Nungarrayi women also danced for the ‘kurdiji.’ In contemporary Warlpiri paintings traditional iconography is used to represent the Dreaming, particular sites and other elements. During the performance of this ceremony the men wear ‘jinjirla’ (white feather headdresses) on either side of their heads. They also wear wooden carvings of stars which are also laid out on the ground as part of the sand paintings produced for business. ‘Ngalyipi’ (snake vine), is often depicted as long curved lines and is used to tie ‘witi’ (ceremonial spears) vertically to the shins of the dancing initiates. These ‘witi’ are typically shown as long straight lines and the ‘yanjirlpiri’ (stars) are usually depicted as white circles or roundels