About the Artist William is a Gunditjmara/Gunaikurnai man. His grandmother is Gunditjmara and his grandfather Gunaikurnai. His mother and father lived in and around Gippsland where he grew up. William has been painting stories from the Gippsland region since the early 2000s. A strong supporter of Aboriginal tradition, he endeavours to capture the essence of tradition in all of his paintings. About the Artwork This painting represents the river turtles in Gunai Kurnai waters. Gunai Kurnai people would eat the river turtles and use their shells for other uses, including as tools. The diamonds on the shells in this painting represent Kurnai people (Gippsland) tribes. The five meeting place circles represent the five main rivers in Gippsland — Thompson River, Snowy River, Mitchell River, Tambo River and Avon River.