Butcher Joe Nangan was probably the best known of all pearl shell engravers. Even though his figures are depicted in a naturalistic manner, all images refer to either the cosmology or the history of the south west Kimberley.

This shell depicts two opposite environments, terrestrial and aquatic; Kanaganyja (the emu), Langkur (the possum) and an armed warrior are balanced against Wayulu (the whitefish), Walak (the frog) and a Nadya Nadya (the mermaid). Linking these two worlds are Inguruku (the Rainbow Serpent) and Mawili (the old freshwater crocodile).