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.
Our Mission
"Wisdom of the Elders revitalizes and sustains Indigenous cultures by capturing the knowledge of Native elders through film, radio, and story — and carrying it into living practice: restoring ecosystems, renewing ancestral food and medicine systems, and building career pathways for Native youth and adults.
Our Vision: A future where Native cultures are seen and heard, ecosystems are healed, and Indigenous knowledge guides how we all live with the land."
Wisdom Newsletter
Harvesting Wisdom: Celebrating 2023 Indigenous Peoples’ Day and the Fall Season
Warm Greetings Friends of Wisdom, As we embrace the vibrant colors of autumn and the changing of seasons in our Fall 2023 newsletter, we also pause to reflect on the significance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. This day serves as a reminder of our commitment to honoring...
Wisdom Projects, Community Action, & Events
Read more about what Wisdom of the Elders is doing in the community.
Fall, a beautiful time for giving
Fall is an exciting time of the year at Wisdom of the Elders. We are busy with our vision and mission; to record, preserve and share Native American oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Indigenous elders, scientists,...
Wisdom Internship Traditional Ecological Knowledge Day on Zenger Farm
This past 2021 spring the Wisdom of the Elders, Inc WABI & WWD Internships concluded their program of traditional ecological knowledge. The program was from March 15th, 2021 through the week of June 7th, and met three days a week either virtually or at various natural...
The Native Wisdom Documentary Film Series Premieres New Docs at the Northwest Film Center
Wisdom of the Elders, a Native-run, Oregon non-profit, in partnership with the Northwest Film Center, will premiere two new one-hour programs in its Native Wisdom Documentary Film Series about today’s changing climate and how it is affecting Native Oregonians’...
Wisdom Workforce Partnership with the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
For the past six months, Wisdom’s social and economic venture, Wisdom Workforce LLC has partnered with the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services to conduct valuable conservation work in local parks and other ecosystems. They have learned much from the guidance and...
Featured posts here. Another great headline and project with details
Made possible with support from these generous Partners, Funders, and sponsors
Made possible with support from these generous Partners, Funders, and sponsors
Notes from Wisdom’s Staff
More updates coming soon... In the meantime, please read more of our Newsletters
Hello and greetings to all,
November is Native American History Month, a time to honor the histories, languages, and knowledge that Indigenous communities have carried forward for generations. It is a fitting season for the work we share, where Traditional Ecological Knowledge sits at the heart of how we teach, grow, and gather. We are grateful to walk this path alongside you.
First, and foremost, we send you a massive Thank You to all of our partners and supporters. Our team celebrates all that you do to uplift our programs as we serve our shared communities. Just know that with each kind word of encouragement, each phone call, and every penny, it’s an opportunity for us to turn to each other with a celebratory word: well done, congratulations, way to go team, and a shared Thanks to each of you!
Your generosity is both deeply appreciated and heartfelt.
We are in the midst of creating an Apothecary for our Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge Internship (ITEK), which is offered twice yearly. We are also deep in the planning process for our Seed-Saving & Sharing program while developing strategic plans to build new garden beds to grow Traditional First Foods.
As our ITEK students learn through classroom instruction and gain hands-on field experience, they all have a part in these processes.
Our community partners are, as always, so gracious to walk alongside us, providing their insight and encouragement to our students and our team. To you, we offer our gratitude for sharing our vision for future generations. You make Wisdom that much richer and add depth to our mission when you join us at the table or in the field to share our goals. The impact is felt all the way through our students, and they take that to fuel themselves into their path forward. To note, we have had previous interns go on to create their own business ventures.
I do hope you are doing well and enjoying the beautiful colors of late fall across our Northwest! Indeed, my favorite time of year. I hope you enjoy the photo of the fantastic double rainbow.
I want to note that Wisdom is recruiting for additional Board Members. We are recruiting those with experience and interest in one or more of our programs and committees:
Ecological Restoration & Conservation, Curriculum Development, Multimedia / Film
Please reach out at your earliest convenience.