Manimala was born in Peora near Naya. She developed her skills as a singer and painter to escape her mendicancy and as a form of emancipation from her husband (in: Fruzetti, Lina; Östor, Ákos, Pinturas Cantadas: Arte e Performance das Mulheres de Naya, Lisboa, Museu Nacional de Etnologia, 2007, pp. 28-30).