A well-known and widespread tradition that crosses the country is that of the Seven Sisters. The sacred narratives of this continent wide religious complex that travels the sacred route from the coast of South Australia to the coast of Arnhem Land, focuses on a man chasing a group of young girls. The man is composed of the stars in the Western constellation of Orion. And just like his Greek counterpart, the man is often seen as a skilled but vain hunter and someone who does not respect women. He falls in love with the young girls of the Pleiades and wishes to “make them his wives”, chasing them across the sky. But he is prevented from doing so by others (often other women in the stars), and faces punishment and humiliation for his crimes.

The Kokatha peoples call this man Nyeeruna. In addition to being a vain man and skilled hunter, he is also a shapeshifter trickster. Nyeeruna is made up of the stars in Orion and stands upside down in the sky. He pursues the seven Yugarilya sisters of the Pleiades. The sisters are timid and shy, and try to avoid Nyeeruna’s advances. They are protected by their eldest sister, Kambugudha (who is made up of the stars in the cluster called the Hyades). She knows that Nyeeruna is really a coward and she is not afraid of him, nor does she tolerate his inappropriate behaviour. Kambugudha blocks Nyeeruna from her younger sisters. He is angry that she is standing in his way, so he produces fire magic in his club, which he holds in his right hand (the red star Betelgeuse) and tries to cast it at Kambugudha.

Kambugudha is ready for him and she retaliates by collecting fire magic in her left foot (the red star Aldebaran) and kicks sand into Nyeeruna’s face, humiliating him and putting out the fire magic in his club. She then places a row of dingo puppies between Nyeeruna and herself, to keep him away. (The puppies are the stars of Orion’s shield in Greek traditions.) She also calls on Babba, the father dingo, to help. Babba attacks Nyeeruna, and the Moon and stars around support Kambugudha, putting the harassing Nyeeruna in his place. A primary social lesson is that Nyeeruna’s behaviour towards the women is unacceptable and breaks traditional Law. Kambugudha protects her sisters, and the community supports her in the fight against the bully Nyeeruna.

A number of traditional star stories from across Australia describe Laws that state abuse or harassment towards women is not acceptable and will result in consequences. Sometimes the punishment is physical and personal, while in other cases it can affect the entire community.