Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

A letter from the Executive Director – Teresa Montana

The 2024 Willamette Week's Give!Guide is Live!

We’re thrilled to announce that Willamette Week’s 2024 Give!Guide is officially in full swing, and we are beyond grateful to be a part of this fantastic community-driven initiative. The Give!Guide is an amazing opportunity to support our mission, and every donation counts—no matter the size.

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

The 2024 Willamette Week's Give!Guide is Live!

We’re thrilled to announce that Willamette Week’s 2024 Give!Guide is officially in full swing, and we are beyond grateful to be a part of this fantastic community-driven initiative. The Give!Guide is an amazing opportunity to support our mission, and every donation counts—no matter the size.

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

Indigenous Archive Initiative

The Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. Indigenous Archive Initiative is a monumental endeavor to preserve and share the rich cultural heritage and wisdom of Indigenous communities. By digitizing and organizing over two decades of recorded video footage, we are creating an accessible online interactive database. Please support our mission by donating to our fund today.
Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

Indigenous Archive Initiative

The Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. Indigenous Archive Initiative is a monumental endeavor to preserve and share the rich cultural heritage and wisdom of Indigenous communities. By digitizing and organizing over two decades of recorded video footage, we are creating an accessible online interactive database. Please support our mission by donating to our fund today.
Wisdom of the Elders, Inc

Our Mission

Wisdom records, preserves, and shares oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, and traditional ecological knowledge of exemplary Native American elders, storytellers, and scientists in collaboration with diverse institutions, agencies, and organizations. Our vision: Native American cultural sustainability, multimedia education, and cultural reconciliation.

Wisdom Newsletter

Native Wisdom Documentary Film Update

Wisdom’s multimedia team is continuing its work on an educational film shared with the forestry service, and also filming a program that features a variety of Grandmothers stories.

Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge: An Internship program

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. is pleased to announce the (ITEK Program) Indigenous Traditional  Ecological Knowledge. This program is designed for interns and focuses on traditional ecological knowledge passed down from generations.

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc 2024 Horizontal

Wisdom Projects, Community Action, & Events

Read more about what Wisdom of the Elders is doing in the community.

Made possible with support from these generous Partners, Funders, and sponsors

The Collins Foundation
First Nations Development Institute
Ecotrust
Native Arts & Cultures Foundation
national Endowment for the Arts
East Portland Action Plan
Zenger Farm
Portland Parks & Recreation
sauvi-island-center
Johnson Creek Water Shed
Open Signal
Leach Botanical Garden
East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District
MHCRC Community Grant
ninety-nine girlfriends
Oregon Metro
Meyer Memorial Trust
Big Green DAO
 Willamette Week Give Guide

Made possible with support from these generous Partners, Funders, and sponsors

Notes from Wisdom’s Executive Director

Hello and Fall Greetings,

On behalf of our staff and Board, thank you for visiting our site and engaging with us here at Wisdom.

As you may know, Wisdom recently experienced a brief suspension of programs. We’re now excited to continue our important work with our communities and partners, supported by the wonderful encouragement and offers we’ve received to strengthen our programs and services. We’re truly grateful for the warm thoughts from so many of you!

At present, we’re focused on our Archives Project. Some of the archival footage has already been digitized, and we’re working toward digitizing it all. The recordings—captured on 8mm film, reel-to-reel, VHS, and cassettes—hold invaluable memories. Our primary goal is to return these recordings to the families and tribes from which they came, fulfilling a mission and promise.

To accomplish this, we’ll be reaching out to communities to help identify some of the elders and others featured in the recordings. With permission from the families and tribes, we hope to share some of these stories and histories more broadly. We welcome any of you who would like to assist in fulfilling this mission—please don’t hesitate to contact us.

We’re also working to expand our Archives, conduct more interviews, and reengage with our Storytelling Events.

Additionally, we’d like to thank you for supporting our Wisdom LLC Crew as we continue our essential work in Restoration and Conservation. There’s always more we can do to increase the livability and enjoyment of the beautiful lands we share. As we look to expand our teams and enhance our services, we invite you to consider joining our ITEK and Multimedia internship programs, held twice a year. If you or anyone you know might be interested, please reach out!

With gratitude,

- Teresa Montana,

Executive Director