The capital received a vibrant dose of Australian First Nations culture on Friday as Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters opened at the Humayun’s Tomb Museum.
The exhibition presents five sections of Indigenous Western and Central Desert songlines through nearly 300 paintings, objects, song, dance, photography, and multimedia. It tells the story of the Seven Sisters, or the Pleiades star cluster, fleeing across the desert while pursued by a powerful, shape-shifting male Ancestor linked to Orion. At the heart of the exhibition is the Songline, a spiritual and physical map defining sacred landscapes and preserving Tjukurrpa, or Aboriginal law, history, and survival knowledge. The journey spans three Indigenous lands: the APY (Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara) people in the central desert, the Ngaanyatjarra in the west, and the Martu in north-west Australia.
“Australia has three main stories” said Philip Green, adding, “Settlers from Britain, migrants, and our Indigenous people, whose culture has thrived for 65,000 years. This exhibition brings that history, art, and tradition to life.”
One of the highlights of the evening was the immersive dome theatre that showcased animated paintings. The exhibition runs from 22 November 2025 to 1 March 2026.
