Joey has painted Karurrken in a scene from the Ubarr Ceremony. Karurrken, also known as Karndayh, is the wife of Korlobbarr, Chief Caller of the Ubarr ceremony. This ceremony originated in the dreamtime from a decision made by Yirrbardbard, an Ancestral Being, to atone for the killing of his wife and her mother for not obeying him. At the same time, however, through this ceremony Yirrbardbard impressed on all men that they would be justified in punishing wives who would not submit to their sexual desires. In the Dreamtime, all Ancestral Beings had the power to transform themselves into other creatures. Yirrbardbard turned into a snake and followed his wife and mother in-law when they went out hunting. Gliding into a hollow log, Yirrbardbard made noises like a goanna scratching. He bit each woman in turn when she insertered her hand into the log to catch the goanna. They died instantly. To escape retribution from the women's clan, Yirrbardbard decided to hold a ceremony in their honour. He instructed Nadulmi the kangaroo to make a hollow log to be used in the new ceremony. Nadulmi, however, delegated this task to two birds, Djik the owl and Koddorl the mopoke. Karurrken, wife of Kolobbarr, was appointed as the ceremony's chief caller; the other women were to perform all its songs and dances. Kolobbarr, however, overruled this decision, as he believed his wife would not call loudly enough and that protracted singing and dancing would be too strenuous for the other women. So the women were forced to leave the sacred dance group to set up camp some distance away to prepare the food and look after the novices until they were called to the ceremony. Kolobbarr did try to have his wife included in some of the dancing, but Djik and Koddorl would not allow any woman to take part in the secret and sacred performances. Karurrken accepted these decisions philosophically, and she created for the women their own songs and dances as well as certain calls to be made in answer to the men. Women were also to make long snail shell necklaces to swing at the end of the ceremony, when two women would climb into the folk of a tree brought down by the men from the dance ground. Well before the start of the Ubarr, Karurrken took all of the women out into the bush to gather a large variety of foods with stone axes and digging sticks: yams, mankinjdjekroots, file snakes, and small animals. A man who was not a participant in the ceremony brought them a large kangaroo to cook. Novices came into the camp and were instructed by Karurrken to avoid certain foods until they had completed their initiation.
In this representation, Joey has depicted Karurrken holding her ironwood kunbarlkbu (digging stick). Beside her there is a mako (didgeridoo), djerrh (dilly bag), manberlnginj (clap sticks), as well as some of the spoils from the hunt. At the top of the painting, bininj are shown taking part in the Ubarr ceremony.