The People

NaDaizja Bolling (Seepee Nahneepowushat) "River Moon"

NaDaizja Bolling (Seep8ee Nâhneepôwushât) “River Moon” is a citizen of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah)

For over 12,000 years the Wampanoag, known as the “People of the First Light,” have inhabited the island of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard). When the first Europeans dropped anchor off their shores in the 1500s – just before the Pilgrims – the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) numbered 3,000 or more. They still occupy their aboriginal land of Aquinnah and count more than 1,550 tribal citizens, about 300 of whom live on the Island.

NaDaizja Bolling (Seep8ee Nâhneepôwushât) is wearing a brain-tanned deerskin strap dress with matching leggings and moccasins, entirely hand-sewn and painted by the artist. This contemporary interpretation draws inspiration from early contact-era strap dresses of the Eastern Woodlands region. She is also adorned in a grey fox cape, copper and wampum jewelry, and deer-tail hair detailing on both her moccasins and earrings. Twined ties and a twined belt complete the ensemble, honoring traditional materials and techniques through a modern lens.

In her role as the Executive Director of the Aquinnah Cultural Center, NaDaizja leads operations and strategic development of the Center’s museum, programs, initiatives, and events. She is a member of the Vanderhoop family in Aquinnah, and she also comes from the Bolling family of Boston.

A traditional dancer, weaver, and regalia maker, NaDaizja is committed to strengthening Wampanoag cultural presence through the arts, history, relationships with land and water, and food sovereignty. She works at the intersection of cultural preservation and community well-being, centering Indigenous knowledge as a living, everyday practice. She currently serves on the Housing Committee for the Town of Aquinnah and contributes to numerous state and regional boards and advisory groups. Ms. Bolling is also co-founder of the Wôpanâak Way and a former Vice President of the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.

NaDaizja holds a Master of Science in Business Analytics from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, African American Studies, and Medical Anthropology from Syracuse University.