Deutscher and Hackett

This work is accompanied by a certificate from Buku-Larrngay Mulka Arts which states: ‘This painting refers to but does not specify two ‘dreamtime’ stories, which each represent different constellations that the artist was told by her father as child. The first story is about two sisters called Guthayguthay and Nhayay. Guthayguthay is the elder sister and sits at the biggest fire, she and Nhayay who is the younger sister and has a smaller fire. The elder sister is able to carry bigger fire wood than the younger sister who can only carry small fire wood. In the olden days these two sisters used to be people, but they turned into stars that sit in the sky under the Milky Way. When the seasons here are hot the two sisters are arguing and sitting apart from each other with different fires. These arguments are often over a man called Marrngu. When the seasons are cooler the two sisters are seen together sitting by one big fire. They are surrounded by more stars when they are sitting together. When you look in the sky long enough you will see two women figures sitting near two bright stars, which are their fires burning.
The second story is about seven sisters who went out in their canoe called Djulpan. During certain seasons they go hunting for food and always come back with different types of food. They come back with turtle, fish, freshwater snakes and also bush foods like yams and berries. They can be seen in the sky of a night, seven starts that come out together.’