Warnman people are traditionally from the central Great Sandy Desert region of Western Australia. People moved from the desert areas, mostly to Jigalong Mission, as late as the 1960s due to welfare resettlement, extensive drought conditions, natural migration and a variety of other reasons. However, Warnman people have maintained very strong ties to traditional lands and culture.
In 2004, a Wangka Maya survey identified less than 30 full Warnman speakers. There are many more partial speakers, people with a passive understanding of the language or people who identify as being of Warnman heritage. Most people now live in Parnngurr, Punmu, Parnpajinya and Jigalong Communities and the towns of Nullagine, Port Hedland and Newman.