Malaija Pootoogook was born into a large, artistic family, in Iqaluit in the cold winter month of January, 1971. She was the adopted daughter of Paulassie Pootoogook and Ishuhungitok Pootoogook, also deceased. Her father, Paulassie was highly regarded as a sculptor and her brother, Mosesee, is a talented stone carver. Her brother, Itee Pootoogook, has received critical and popular acclaim for his contemporary drawings.

Malaija did her first drawing in 1994, inspired by the work of her great-grandmother, the late Pitseolak Ashoona. She was represented in the Cape Dorset Annual Print Collection for the first time in 2011 with two affecting images of the Arctic Owl. Expressive and monumental depictions of birds and Arctic wildlife were a continuing theme in her work, often depicted glowing with vibrant hues, printed with etching and aquatint techniques.