This Wolastoqiyik artist almost left school because of prejudice. Now he's a master wood carver

Charlie Gaffney wanted to drop out of school.

It was the 1980s — a tough time to be in high school as an Indigenous student, he said. He wanted to quit and go to work, but a teacher asked if he was interested in taking a wood-carving class with Ned Bear, a sculptor from the Wolastoqiyik First Nations community.

When Gaffney carved his first mask, something just clicked. 

"I stayed, just to basically go to Ned's class."

It was a decision that would help him find a career — and his wife.

Gaffney, who'd always loved drawing and painting, finished high school and started working of a garage, selling small carvings and building his tool collection.

Today, his pieces can be found as far away as China and England, where he travelled for a conference and met Jen Hurst, his now-wife and a major supporter of his work. 

Gaffney helped found Mawi' Art, a pan-Atlantic artist collective dedicated to supporting Indigenous artists in Wabanaki territory.

WATCH |There's a love story behind this wooden mask 

Uncovering the life of a tree through wood carving

2 years ago

Duration 4:01

Master carver and Wolastoqiyik visual artist Charlie Gaffney talks about his art.

Mawi' means "to gather," according to program co-ordinator Chloe Keith-Barnaby. The organization has been hosting workshops in Fredericton since October that feature Indigenous artists, including Gaffney, who recently taught an Indigenous iconography course for the program.

He showed participants images such as salmon and leaves, items likely used by his ancestors, he said, that he'd carved into wooden paddles.

Keith-Barnaby said the response to the Mawi' Art workshops has been "incredible."

"We've created such an amazing community of Indigenous artists, Indigenous people, non-Indigenous people, elders — it's been great."

Mawi' Art will be hosting more workshops until the end of March. The sessions are free, though the organization does require a $20 deposit that's returned at the event.

Ann's Eye

Photographer Ann Paul brings an Indigenous lens to stories from First Nations communities across New Brunswick. Click here or on the image below to see more of her work.