CULTURAL GROUP:
Nuxalk/Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw

BORN:
August 21st, 1997

Danika (Naccarella) Saunders born in Vancouver, BC 1997. Raised Nuxalk from Bella Coola, BC, and bloodline to the Gwa’sala-Nakwaxda’xw Nation. She started practicing Northwest Coast Nuxalk art in 2010 while attending Acwsalcta School for her high school years. After graduating in 2014, she enrolled into the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, obtaining her diploma in First Nations Fine Arts in 2016. Danika is a 2 time YVR Art Foundation Scholarship recipient (2015 & 2022). In 2017 she received the Crabtree McLennan Emerging Artists Award. After the Freda Diesing program, Danika attended the Earthline Tattoo Residency in 2017 where she learned the handpoke and skin stitch tattooing techniques. Danika spent 4 years assisting the art program at Acwsalcta School. Recently Danika has focused on her own art career, dedicating herself full time to creating either digitally, with paints, through hand poke tattoos or Jewellery.