Esther Giles says of this work, "The story of Purrungu tells of a woman who went into an underground cave to collect water from a rockhole inside. As she was coming out, a snake came upon her. Scaring it away, she walked backwards lest the snake came upon her again. She made it back to camp where all the women were sitting around." Esther Giles grew up in the Gibson desert, Western Australia, living the traditional nomadic lifestyle. After the death of her father the family moved to the newly settled community at Papunya. Esther has since returned to live in her own country with some close family members. Esther is recognised for her exceptional painting skills. Her work depicts traditional homelands associated with her people's ancestral heritage and it is detailed with symbolism and iconography depicting sand dunes (tali) and rock escarpments (puli) as well as water holes and food sources. Some of her images are seen in body art used in traditional ceremony.