yalti was born in the great sandy desert, sometime around 1970. she and her family lived as nomads in the desert, travelling along the western side of lake mackay. most other pintupi families had moved into settlements during the 1950s, but yalti's father kept the family away from these. her parents were lanti (or "joshua") and nanu. she has an older brother, tamayinya, and a younger sister, yukultji. she married warlimpirrnga sometime during the early 1980s, possibly when she was as young as 12. she and her family came out of the desert in 1984. she now lives at kiwirrkurra, and has two sons and two daughters.