Indigenous relations consultant Melanie Daniels shares how she walks with the wind spirit

By Laura Mushumanski

(ANNews) – The wind spirit is one of the fundamental elements of life. Sometimes though, the wind is forgotten for how important it is because we cannot see it but only feel it. The wind creates movement throughout Mother Earth, so eloquently by dispersing seeds across the land. And when the wind is in motion it gifts all that reside on Mother Earth nourishment for the mind-body-spirit-heart while creating life.

The spirit of the wind is also in all of us. It shows up in how we speak to each other and teaches us how to walk with the heartbeat of Mother Earth—gently and in good relations. One way to go about good relations is to understand sustainable ways of being and knowing, like the wind, carrying gentleness and understanding to preserve the continuation of life.

“Creator gave me a gift of being a bridge,” shared Melanie Daniels, founder of Chickadee Indigenous Relations, “and with my role, and for me, it is really all about the land—everything I do goes back to protection of the land, the water, and animals.”

“I have had an interesting career,” Daniels said, “through many jobs I learned about Indigeneity, but it wasn’t until I started asking my dad questions that I started to understand things about the history of our people.” This led Melanie to a life-long quest of learning and connecting with how to go about developing good relations, and what that involves.

Before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, Daniels was employed with Indian and Northern Affairs Canada working in environmental protection and compliance. Since then, she has been working in the capacity of an advisor and consultant within Government, Industry and Indigenous Governed Nations.

The role that Daniels walks with as a consultation and engagement professional allows her to bring people together. She helps organizations develop positive relations, sharing that within her work, “it is all about making choices and learning about different versions of ourselves. It is about coming together as Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous and learning how to go about things with a deeper understanding.”

Melanie Daniels’ commitment to building respectful relations between Canada, Canadians and Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island is rooted in protecting Mother Earth for future generations to flourish in abundance. Her passion is rooted in foraging new paths built on good relations while aiming to ensure healthy and equitable futures for all Canadians. Daniels offers advice and guidance on perspectives from Indigenous Peoples, Governments and Industry. For inquires on how Daniels can walk along your organization, creating more inclusive discussions while emphasizing teamwork and communication, Melanie can be contacted by email, [email protected], or by phone at 403-463-1139.

Laura Mushumanski is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.