This painting tells the story of the Kupi Kupi spirit who stole a young girl who was playing near a water hole. 

Despite the watchful eye of a large water snake, the Kupi Kupi spirit took the form of a water snake and managed to win the girl's trust. Every day the spirit lured her into the water, letting her leave in the evening, until one day the little girl didn't return.

Worried, the water snake in charge of protecting the girl decided to tell her family, who immediately set up a trap to capture the spirit. After the women and children hid in a large hole, the men gathered around a fire to await the spirit's arrival. When the spirit arrived, a war was declared, resulting in the death of Kupi Kupi. 

The Kupi Kupi spirit is also known as willy-willy, and takes the form of a mini-tornado. It often signals the approach of danger or heralds major changes to come. 

‘The kupi kupi tells a story of change. The change we experienced when the world of the Whites arrived in ours. Our world was thrown into the air, thrown from all sides. But our world, our culture was never broken. Our culture, our law are so strong that they will withstand the strongest wind.’ (Kunmanara Munu Mike Williams 2019)