Wati Nyiru

ancestor sky Pitjantjatjara single tradition · 1

A shapeshifting pursuer of the Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters) driven by lust. He possesses the ability to transform into various forms including a shady tree and bush food, and can send his elongated penis to pursue the sisters. He uses magic to tire the women, eventually catches and rapes the older sister, causing her death before she ascends to the sky.

When

First attested
1980 CE
Attested period
1980 – 2020
Historical notes
Songline performed by elders in 2013; depicted in cave art at Walinynga understood by Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara people.

Relationships

manifests as
Orion
co occurs with
Minyipuru, Yurla

Expand to full subgraph →

Sources

wikipedia (1)

Source passages

“Wati Nyiru's obsessive fixation on the elder sister leaves her captured and hurt...He sends his penis after them in the form of a carpet snake...He marries them all”

#31301 · extracted by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5