This painting honours the Gurrir Gurrir ceremony, an important cultural tradition of the East Kimberley that was revealed to the late Rover Thomas through a series of dreams in 1975. The ceremony traces the journey of a spirit across Country, connecting significant places, ancestral beings and communities throughout the Kimberley.

Peter has based this work on a ceremonial board painted by the late Hector Jandany in 1994. Hector was one of the founding figures of the Warmun art movement and an important participant in the Gurrir Gurrir ceremony. By revisiting this image, Peter acknowledges both Hector’s artistic legacy and the continuing importance of ceremonial knowledge within Gija culture.
The painting depicts a Magpie Goose, a bird commonly found throughout the river systems of the Kimberley. Rendered in Peter’s distinctive style, the bird is framed by bold ochre forms inspired by the traditional painted boards used during ceremonial performances.

Peter has a strong personal connection to Gurrir Gurrir, having participated in the ceremony himself and carried painted boards during performances. Through this work, he pays tribute to the senior artists and cultural leaders who came before him while continuing to share the stories and traditions of Gija Country through his own art.