Tjunkaya grew up at the Ernabella Mission, where she went to school and later worked. Tjunkaya’s tjanpi work is consistently innovative and skillfully executed. She clearly has great knowledge of the habits and nuances of desert animals as her sculptural work shows an exceptional eye for character and is created with great strength. Her work has been seen in many exhibitions in Australia and overseas since 1971. Tjunkaya excels in fibre work, ceramics, print making and painting. Her first solo exhibition was held at Alcaston Gallery in Melbourne in February 2012. In November 2014 Tjunkaya had her second solo exhibition at Michael Reid gallery, Sydney.