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. 

Each pot is stone polished with a river stone until it gets a natural shine. It is then smoked in a traditional firing using fir tips, seaweed and/or sawdust. When the clay gets warm enough, it absorbs the smoke giving a beautiful smoky design that's unique to each piece. The work is then trimmed with sweetgrass.