Seven Sisters – Anawari Mitchell (L)

Composition: Classic Cotton – organic (more info at bottom)
Width: 140 cm (52 inches)
Weight of base cloth: 140 gsm
The artist is paid royalties for every metre printed
Produced by Flying Fox Fabrics under license in collaboration with Papulankutja Artists
Title Kungkarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters)

This Tjukurpa (Dreamtime Story) explains the creation of two constellations: the Pleiades and Orion.

Kungkarrangkalpa (Seven Sisters) are being relentlessly pursued by Wati Nyiru. Nyiru fell in love with the sisters but he is ‘wrong skin’ to marry them. Nevertheless, he chases them across the country and tries to catch them by using magic to turn into the most tempting kampurarrpa (bush tomato) and the most beautiful Yirli (wild fig tree) to eat and camp under. However, the sisters are too clever and outwit him again and again.

The sisters moved across the landscape but ever persistent he always finds them. Eventually they fly into the sky to escape thus forming the Pleiades. He follows and we can see him as Orion.

About the artist:

Anawari grew up at the Warburton Mission. She was manager of the Blackstone Women’s Centre where they made e-dyed t-shirts, batik, lino and silk-screen prints, spinifex paper and jewellery.

Anawari participated in the first tjanpi (grass) weaving workshop at Papulankutja (Blackstone) in 1995.

Anawari currently works for Ngaanyatjarra Land and Culture at Papulankutja. Her grandmothers country is Kuru Ala, a very important site for the Seven Sisters story which she paints. She paints stories of when the sisters travelled and camped at Kulyuru east of Blackstone and Kuru Ala which is a sacred women’s’ ceremonial site where teenage girls are taught to become young women.

Anawari’s family, the women of the family, have custodianship over some very special dreaming places.
Papulankutja Artists is a community-based, not-for-profit Aboriginal Corporation governed by a committee of elected members.

It evolved out of the Women’s Centre where painting had been encouraged as an activity for both men and women since the mid 1980s. With the Aboriginal art market taking off it became necessary to establish a legal framework to protect the artists and their entitlements. Papulankutja Artists was born in 2003 and a year later registered as an Aboriginal Corporation with the members governing the art centre. After five year struggling to find a home Papulankutja Artists moved into a purpose built art centre in 2009. The art centre also works with artists in Mantamaru (Jameson), a community 75kms to the west.

The fabric: Classic Cotton is made from organic yarn and woven in a satin finish. The fabric has a smooth surface with a sheen across it and a bright white point making it an excellent fabric for printing. Classic Cotton is a versatile fabric that produces a soft hand feel and gentle drape. Perfect for all types of clothing, accessories and selected soft furnishings.

Printed by: Next State Print in Melbourne

Fabric care instructions:
Gentle cold/ warm hand wash. Do not bleach, warm rinse well, do not tumble dry, cool iron only, dry cleanable (P).