Nancy Oakley

Nancy Oakley is a First Nations artist of Mi’kmaq and Wampanoag descent. She was raised in Massachusetts where her father was the grand chief of Wampanoag Nation. She decided to move to her mother’s reserve in Eskasoni First Nation to better understand her heritage. She has been involved in art all her life, attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in New Mexico and NSCAD. Nancy has had her own craft business for the last 20 years, focusing on pottery and beadwork. Her pottery is stone polished and smoke fired and incorporates sweetgrass used for purification in First Nation cultures. Nancy lives and works in Eskasoni.