Greetings, Friends of Wisdom,

September filled up fast. The garden was heavy with fruit, the powwow circle was full, and our next group of ITEK interns took shape.

September had us picking plums, wading into Balch Creek, and gathering in the powwow circle. Now October is here, and it brings something brand new for the kids in our community. We’re glad to share a bit of both with you here.

Here’s a look back at September at Wisdom of the Elders, and a look ahead at how you can be part of October. We’ll start where so much of our work starts: in the garden.

September Recap

We spent an afternoon picking plums from Wisdom’s garden at Zenger Farm, our partner and the home of our garden space. The work was good, but the conversations were better: talk about reciprocity, about the land, and about where this food would go and who it would serve.

The answer was close to home. We shared the harvest with our friends at Wapas Nah Née Shaku, NAYA’s community garden, grown around Indigenous Food Sovereignty and First Foods. The rest of the plums went into jams, dried fruit, and other goods for community members.

In September, our partners at the Green Workforce Academy wrapped up their third week with a trip to Forest Park, where Megan from the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services showed the group how scientists assess stream health.

The method is simple and surprisingly revealing: collect the macroinvertebrates living in the water. The kinds of critters you find tell you a lot about water quality. Based on what the group pulled from Balch Creek, the verdict was good. The creek is quite healthy. A dissolved oxygen test helped round out the picture, and that data helps the City decide where to focus its restoration resources. Hands-on learning that’s directly useful, not just educational.

We’re proud to be a Green Workforce Academy partner alongside Ecotrust, The Blueprint Foundation, NAYA, and Self Enhancement, Inc. The Academy is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Portland’s Portland Clean Energy Fund.

Fall ITEK Internship: Thank You to Every Applicant

In early September, we opened applications for our Fall Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) Internship, a paid, hands-on program where participants build real skills in ecological restoration in a supportive, community-centered space. Sessions run 8 to 12 weeks and are offered twice a year, with field days at partner sites across the Portland Metro area and rural Oregon, and classroom days blending ITEK, Western science, and Native cultural arts.

Applications closed September 11, and we were blown away by the response. So many bright, talented people applied. To everyone who put yourself forward: thank you. We know the effort it takes, and we honor it.

Missed This Round? Be Ready for the Next One

You’re already doing the first thing right by reading this newsletter. Follow us on social media and keep an eye on our ITEK program page, where we document the work our interns, staff, and partners do all year. Questions about the program can go to ITEK@wisdomoftheelders.org.

Highlights from NAYA’s 14th Annual Neerchokikoo Powwow

“Every year, it’s exciting to see our youth enter the powwow circle for the first time. Families choose NAYA to introduce their children to the powwow circle, and that is such an honor for us.”

Tamara Henderson (Laguna Pueblo), NAYA Chief Operating Officer

In September, the Native American Youth and Family Center’s Neerchokikoo Powwow brought Native dancers, drummers, artists, families, youth, and Elders together in Portland for a day of culture and celebration. It’s one of our favorite powwows of the year. We sat down with Oscar Arana (Chichimeca), NAYA’s Chief Executive Officer, to talk about the event and what it means for the community.

A few highlights:

Held on meaningful ground. Neerchokikoo was once a trading and fishing village where Chinook Peoples fished these waters for generations. The powwow was free and open to the public.

More accessible than ever. A new on-site elevator improved ADA accessibility this year.

Honoring Two-Spirit relatives. NAYA continued recognizing a Two-Spirit Head Dancer, a tradition it started in 2023.

A reflection of Portland’s Native community. With members of nearly 400 different Tribes living here, the day featured two Grand Entry ceremonies, more than 30 Native vendors and artists, and food including frybread tacos and tamales.

Wisdom Media department captured the day in a video recap for our friends at NAYA.

If you missed it, see what the day looked like.

Coming Up in October

Now Collecting

Our First Annual Kids

Halloween Costume Drive

October brings something new, and it’s one the whole community can help with.

Spooky season is here, and with it comes a community need that often goes unnoticed. For some kids, a costume just isn’t in the cards. We believe every child and teen deserves the chance to dress up and just be a kid.

That’s why, together with our partners in community care at NAYA Family Center, we’ve launched our first annual Kids Halloween Costume Drive, running now through October 20. Check the closets, ask the neighbors, and help us make this Halloween bright for our community kiddos.

***Have costumes but can’t make it to the drop box? Send us a message, and we’ll see what we can do to pick them up.

How to Help

Drop off gently worn children’s costumes. New costumes are greatly appreciated if they fit your budget.

All sizes are welcome, from little ones to teens. The drop box is out daily through October 20, so there’s still time to gather a few and bring them by.

Donation drop box:
Great Spirit Methodist Church
3917 NE Shaver St.
Portland, OR 97212

Need a pickup or have a question? Send us a message, and we’ll get back to you.

NISA Is Coming Home

Hello, relatives and friends,

Back by popular demand, Wisdom of the Elders is working to redevelop the Northwest Indian Storytelling Association, also known as NISA. Stories carry our languages, our values, and our connection to the land, and NISA was created to keep that tradition alive across the Northwest.

The program is on hold while we rebuild it, and we’ll share updates over the coming year. If you’re a storyteller, love to listen, or want to help bring NISA back, we’d love to hear from you.

Help Bring NISA Home

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Queeraoke: A Water Benefit for Warm Springs

Sunday, October 11  |  7 PM to 12 AM  |  Peacock PDX

On October 1, a 6-inch water main broke on the Warm Springs Reservation, putting the community under yet another boil water notice. This isn’t new for the people of Warm Springs. Decades of failing infrastructure, made worse by increasingly devastating wildfires, mean repairs are slow and expensive, and families depend on a steady supply of donated water just to drink, cook, and bathe.

On the eve of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, KJ Sam Cole (Wasco, Diné, Warm Springs descent) is hosting a night of karaoke at Peacock PDX to help. Come sing, cheer someone on, and send water where it’s needed.

How to help: Bring water donations to the event, or give money at the door.

Can’t make it? You can still give through The Chuush Fund: Water for Warm Springs at Seeding Justice.

That was our September at Wisdom of the Elders: a harvest shared, a creek checked, and a circle full of dancers. Now October is here, with a costume box waiting to be filled, NISA on its way home, and water to send to Warm Springs.

Want to stay closer to what we’re up to day-to-day? Follow us on Instagram at @wisdomoftheelders, plus Facebook and YouTube, for ITEK updates, community events, and new ways to get involved.

There’s more coming this fall. Thank you for being part of it.

Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.

Portland, Oregon

wisdomoftheelders.org