Wingu was born in the late 1910s or early 1920s. She was born at Nyumun, a rock hole in the Great Victoria Desert in Western Australia. This is a sacred site for Pitjantjatjara men, and it is associated with the (Eagle Dreaming). She grew up living a semi-nomadic way of life with her family in the country around Kuru Ala, very close to her place of birth. This is a sacred place for the Kungkarungkara (Seven Sisters Dreaming), which Wingu would later feature in many of her most important paintings.