Pantjiya was born ca. 1936 in the Gibson Desert in Western Australia. With her family she lived a nomadic lifestyle before moving east to the ration depot at Haasts Bluff. During the 1970s, Pantjiya lived with her family at Papunya and at Kungkayunti Outstation, 70 kms west of Haasts Bluff. Whilst at Papunya, Pantjiya married George Maxwell Tjangala, one of the early Papunya Tula artists. After the death of her husband in 1989, Pantjiya returned to her homeland of Kiwirkurra in the Gibson Desert.

Pantjiya's paintings refer to the Dreaming stories of sacred sites in her country. Through symbolic, visual representation she describes the creation story of the women who travelled the land gathering bush melons and quandongs. Continuing their travels the women stopped at a site called Ngutjulnga, east of present day Kintore. It is at this site that they perished from cold because they were unable to make fire.

Using only two or three colours on a background field of connected dots which, when fused together, convey the impression of thick confectionary, Pantjiya paints the sacred ceremonial sites, the rocks, waterholes, sand hills and campsites of her country.

Pantjiya's paintings have been collected in Australia and overseas and her art is very much appreciated by collectors from around the world.