The adventure of M\u00e9lanie Gamache and her company, Borealis Beading, began in the winter of 2015, when she learned beading through books, workshops and courses. \u201cIt was immediately obvious to me that this was what I wanted to do. I totally immersed myself in the learning process.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a child, M\u00e9lanie Gamache had already participated in beading workshops at the Festival du Voyageur. \u201cIt already spoke to me at that time. I’m very interested in M\u00e9tis and Aboriginal skills and culture. In fact, I have M\u00e9tis roots myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn’t until 2016, however, that she decided to really embark on her entrepreneurial adventure. \u201cAt that time, I was asked to run workshops and everything followed quickly. I found that in my village of Sainte-Genevi\u00e8ve, there weren’t many activities that instilled M\u00e9tis know-how, or even shared our history.\u201d<\/p>\n
“So as the transmission of know-how was something I was very interested in, I wanted to share my passion for beadwork around me. For the past year, the CDEM has been helping me with my marketing. In particular, they\u2019ve supported me in creating business cards and posters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, the 40-year old offers beading workshops all year-round. But her approach to learning is unique.<\/p>\n
M\u00e9lanie Gamache explains, \u201cI don’t just want to teach the public about beading. I want to go beyond that. I want to teach them the history of the M\u00e9tis people. I think it’s important for everyone to know the roots of our culture. It’s time to bring back our knowledge, to relearn our crafts and skills of the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a strong connection to this heritage, and for me it’s essential that people understand the history and the symbolism behind each creation. In the past, when these products were sold on the market, you could recognize their creator through the patterns in the beadwork. These are the kind of stories I like to pass on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other workshops are offered at Borealis Beading, such as how to make tobacco bags, fire bags, leather moccasins, mittens, or even drawing book covers for which she also uses recycled materials such as jeans. She can also offer other workshops on demand.<\/p>\n