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Star Lab

Aboriginal Astronomy

The Pleiades

The stars we now call the Pleiades were once seven beautiful sisters called the Maya-Mayi. Every man who ever saw them wished that he could marry one, or even two, of them.

One day the seven sisters used their digging sticks to open up the nest of wood ants to eat the larvae. When they had done so they sat down to enjoy the feast, but they didn’t realise they were being spied upon by the warrior, Warrumma.

Warrumma crept close to the sisters. He quietly reached out his hand and took two of their digging sticks and then retreated to his hiding place. The five sisters who could find their sticks continued to gather food, but the two who couldn’t find theirs stayed behind. Warrumma jumped up from his hiding place and seized both girls around their waists, holding them firmly. They screamed loudly but no one heard. They struggled but Warrumma was too strong.

When they had finally stopped screaming and struggling, Warrumma explained that he was lonely and that he would take care of them and that he wanted to marry them.

The two girls travelled with him, but always looked for a way to escape. One day their chance came. They had to cut pine bark to make a fire. As they climbed the pine tree it grew and grew and grew right up into the sky, here they were welcomed by their five sisters who were waiting for them.

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