Tjunkaya Tapaya OAM was born in 1947 in South Australia, near Attila (Mount Connor). Her mother walked from Walytjitjata in the Northern Territory and arrived at the Ernabella mission in Pukatja shortly after her daughter was born. Tjunkaya is a member of the Pitjantjatjara people. 

Like the vast majority of women in the Ernabella community, Tjunkaya Tapaya started out as a batik painter. She holds important positions within her community and is the guardian of its culture and stories. She divides her time between painting for Ernabella Arts in the mornings and weaving for Tjanpi Desert Weavers in the afternoons.  

For example, she represents the Dream of the Seven Sisters, embodied by seven stars also known as the Pleiades.