Area of Interest: Non-profit
Location: Duncan, BC
Pronouns: She/Her/E'kwe

Melaina Patenaude (Oza'wusko âthin Muski'kke) is a Georgian Bay Métis herbalist and community developer. She grew up in Blackfoot and Ktunaxa territories and currently resides on the unceded territory of the Quw'utsun Hwulmuhw. This territory is also home to the Métis Nation of BC Region 1.

Melaina connects deeply to the importance of fostering collective stewardship for the natural world and values cultivating meaningful relationships with people, animals, and Mother Earth. She is passionate about wildcrafting, medicine making, and the preservation of ancestral skills. She regularly facilitates herbal medicine workshops in Indigenous communities, connecting people with plants and sharing traditional knowledge that has been passed down to her.

Melaina has worked for over fourteen years in the non-profit sector as a community developer. She has worked in food security, alongside Indigenous communities across Western Canada and the Territories, helping to strengthen local food systems and empower local knowledge keepers. She has also worked in the homelessness sector, influencing systems change using a decolonizing lens. Since becoming a Cultivating Safe Spaces Facilitator, she has witnessed how impactful the framework can be for organizations seeking to decolonize their internal and external practices.