Minyipuru (Seven Sisters)
2008
Medium
synthetic polymer paint on canvas
Measurements
91.3 × 121.1 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 2011
© Nyanjilpayi Nancy Chapman. Martumili Artists
Gallery location
Gallery 5
Level 2, NGV Australia
About this work
Nyanjilpayi Nancy Chapman was a Manyjilyjarra woman born in the 1940s at Jarntinti, a large claypan at the southern end of Nyayartakujarra (Ngayarta Kujarra, Lake Dora) and within the Karlamilyi (Rudall River) region of the Pilbara. This painting depicts a part of the Minyipuru or Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) Jukurrpa/Dreaming, an Ancestral creation narrative that follows the travels of seven sisters, moving across Country to get away from an old man in pursuit called Nyiru. The sisters visit multiple sacred sites along the way, including Jarntinti, Nyanjilpayi’s birthplace, and Jurntiwa, before flying away to evade the persistent man. Minyipuru begins in Roebourne on the west coast of Western Australia and travels right across the desert, and throughout the country.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Punmu, Western Australia
Accession Number
2011.273
Department
First Nations Australia
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation