Some tribes from Central Australia have the Seven Sisters fleeing from a man, but the Yuin mob have a gentler tale.
Daramah, the Great Spirit watches.
It is night, and the seven sisters, a group of stars, rise up and travel from east to west. Three of the sisters, representing the physical, mental and spiritual, circle anti-clockwise around the connectedness rock. They go back in time, creating a vortex as they circle. The seven sisters begin to blow in the wind of the great wind spirit, Kooro-Kori.
It is tempting, in a modern context, to consider the relationship between the Yuin people's 'seven sisters' and the constellation of the Southern Cross. Especially, since three sisters go back into the vortex, which leave the four to form the constellation. I cannot find anything to support this, however. Being mischievous, and to stir the pot, there is a representation of the Southern Cross on our national flag, and all except one of those stars has seven points. It is satisfying to be mischievous at times!
But, I digress. As the performance continued, the song men came more to the fore (they were all strapped with transmitters, and the wire-less connectivity worked a charm).
Here they are in all their splendour. Going clockwise, from top left we have Richard Green, Matthew Doyle and the imposing brother Cecil Mcleod. The young lad on the didge I could not identify. The combination of voice, clap-sticks, and didge was very powerful.
Tomorrow: Our Dreaming draws to a close as the Death Adder and the Rainbow Serpent join together to create the Tree Tribes and the Totems.
11 comments:
Beautiful Julie, thank you.
Fascinating legends, Julie. Interesting how they vary from one part of Australia to another.
I've never noticed the points on the stars on your flag, but I looked it up (I'm a prodigious looker-upper).
Unfortunate you couldn't identify the young man on the didgeridoo, but perhaps someone knows someone who knows someone who reads your blog - amazing how cyberspace works!
-- K
Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel
I am enjoying this series so very much, it's fascinating, Julie!
Julie, your reportage here astounds me. The photographs are so clear and engaging, the stories well written and people recognised. Bravo.
Terrific shots again.
I'm really enjoying this series. Did they explain the legend/s during the performance?
I enjoy the dreaming stories, we used to read them to the kids in school. Aren't the seven points on the flag star representing the 7 states?
Not only are these posts informative, not only is the photography first class, but the construction of the post, the assemblage of images, the choices of pairings and singles, is a journey in itself. Beautifully done, Julie.
Diane: This is why I said I was being mischievous and stirring the pot. The 7-pointed star on our flag represents the six states of Federation plus one more catch-all. Seven is a frequent number of items.
BC: THAT takes a long time, the assemblage. I even go so far as to flip images, to create balance and movement. Thank you for noticing.
Piękne tradycje.
Chwile's Polish says 'Beautiful traditions'. For which I thank her.
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