Norma Nahanee: My name is Norma (Andrew) Nahanee. I am a member of the Squamish Nation. I was born at home in 1945 to a trapper, hunter, logger father and a very creative super mom. I have nine brothers and sisters and to this day remain very close. We moved a lot because of my father's work, but I have called North Vancouver home since moving here at the age of sixteen, I graduated from St. Thomas Aquainas High School in 1964. After graduating, I attended the Vancouver Vocational Institute. I worked as a hairdresser for 10 years. I married at the age of 22 to a Commercial Fisherman. I have two wonderful children. I changed careers and graduated from Hughes School of Retailing. I worked as a cashier at Super Value in Park Royal for a while until we opened up our own coffee shop at Mosquito Creek Marina. During this time I also taught leather crafts (purses, sandals, belts), Salish weaving, quilting, natural wool dying and spinning. I also knit hand-spun Indian sweaters. When my marriage failed my life took a different turn. I enrolled in Art School in 1976. I graduated from Emily Carr College of Art & Design in 1981 with a major in ceramics. In my spare time I taught pottery to grades 1-7 for four years. I also worked as a hostess at a world famous West Coast Native restaurant during summer break. I could not find work as an artist after graduating from art school so I got a job in the health care field for 8 years. That work took its toll on me. I had emergency back surgery in 1990. I re-assessed my life and put it into perspective. Now I donate a major part of my time doing what makes me happy, my art work. I would say the biggest influence in my life comes from my creative mother. There is nothing that woman cannot do or make. She still reigns as one of the best cedar root basket weavers today. I belong to a wonderful group of potters called "Club Mud". As a group we have two major shows a year. I also exhibit annually at the "Fans Awards Night". I've had shows at the Seymour Art Gallery and Seg Cover Art Gallery. I currently supply the Gift Horse Gallery. with my works. I also love supporting our local craft fairs. I am currently working on a series of paper mosaics, clay masks, and table-top fountains. I love doing floral arrangements for all occasions. My favorite hobbies are gardening, designing clothes, camping, hiking and traveling the globe.