Melani was born to a Métis/Cree mother and Finnish father. She grew up knowing she was Métis but not knowing exactly what that meant. In 2016 she took an intro to Métis beading class, taught by Métis artist Lisa Shepherd. Since then she has taught herself to do raised beadwork and make moccasins. Further skills in caribou tufting, and fish scale art were acquired through Métis Nation British Columbia. Along with her husband and two daughters, Melani can be found foraging for berries, plants, and most recently maple syrup, around her rural property in East Maple Ridge. An aspiring author and teacher, she hopes to share her gathered knowledge of Métis culture with the next generation and become the teacher she never had growing up.
Sarah grew up baking bannock, smoking fish, and preserving berries. When she was in her teens, her family traced their genealogy and started exploring their Métis roots further. Since then she has continued to explore her heritage through food and the arts. Sarah studied art at UFV, then continued with graphic design at Emily Carr and BCIT. She currently works in print media and has a Redbubble shop where she creates designs celebrating her Métis heritage. In 2019, she took an intro to Métis beadwork class, taught by Lisa Shepherd, and was instantly hooked. From there she has continued to seek out additional crafting techniques in other mediums such as caribou tufting, fish scale art, and quillwork. Sarah is keen to continue learning new art forms and the history behind them with the goal of sharing these skills and knowledge with others in the future.