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, storytellers, and tribal leaders in partnership with Indigenous groups, tribes, environmental organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions.
If you want to be a part of our shared vision you can do so by giving to the become a friend of Wisdom ongoing program sponsorships or giving this November at Willamette Weeks Give Guide or getting involved as a volunteer. If you are not familiar with Willamette Week's Give Guide here is a little about the program. Willamette Week's Give Guide is Portland's easiest path to year-end giving. It showcases small, medium, and large organizations whose missions fall into eight categories: Animals, Civil & Human Rights, Creative Expression, Community, Education, Environment, Health & Wellness, and Human Services.
Cultural Reconciliation and Ecological Revitalization and Education.
Wisdom endeavors to continue reaching out to all Indigenous programs and organizations to work in conjunction with our 30+ Portland Metro partners. Wisdom provides educational opportunities and job training with compassion and resiliency- as this is at the heart of all we do and all that is intrinsic to Indigenous Nations as a people".
- Teresa Montana
We are grateful and thankful for our Sponsors, Board Members, and Staff. You are all a critical part in enhancing the Stem and Steam programs to align with the new states mandates as stated in the Oregon Senate bill 13 for State Standards.
Our Media departments have been at work creating two new films; One will be an educational film that we will share with the Forestry service for their training programs and the other features Grandmothers Stories. (Working Title) We will include indigenous Grandmothers from different parts of the world.
Our innovative programs are informed by Indigenous knowledge and research-based Best Practices in the development, teaching, and periodical re-evaluation of our programs. Wisdom’ programs are foundational components using principles of excellence in teaching and learning with Indigenous adults and youth. We deliver interdisciplinary, traditionally, and culturally tailored education that can lead to living-wage jobs, entrepreneurialism and encourage the pursuit of post-secondary educational opportunities.
Wisdoms’ Award Winning Films featured in Summer festivals
Wisdoms' documentary series is titled “Native Wisdom: The Peoples of Eastern Oregon” & “Native Wisdom: The Peoples of Western Oregon.”
The completion of these documentaries was instrumental in giving our non-profit renewed visibility. Specifically, during this global pandemic, these documentaries have been vital in serving our community with fresh content that has won awards and been nominated from several film festivals including Bend International Film Festival, American Indian Film Festival, and Eugene Environmental Film Festival.
Wisdom has recorded over 500 interviews and produced short and long documentary films. These recordings form part of the training for our WWD/WABI programs, and the curriculum for our WYSE program, as well as the Native Wisdom documentary series, which includes the tribes of Oregon and some from Alaska, (currently extending into Washington state). The films feature cultural arts, emerging environmental issues, and First Foods Restoration. Multimedia Internships are held twice a year and offer summer youth camps.
Our partners include Open Signal, OPB, NPR, KBOO, and Mt. Hood Cable. In addition, Film Symposiums are held twice a year at regional venues such as The Portland Art Museum and Portland State University, Hollywood Theater, and Clinton Theater, Portland, OR.
WWD program provides classroom and hands-on training
Our impactful WWD program provides classroom and hands-on training with Indigenous perspectives and traditional knowledge of First Foods, Environmental Restoration/Conservation. The curriculum is delivered through our internships, which provide living-wage job training.
International wisdom projects in the making featuring:
Finland, Hawaii, and South America
We are looking forward to working on international projects and would love to hear your story. Feel free to reach out to us through our Contact us page
Reviving The Northwest Indian Storytellers Association (NISA)
We have heard from many people that they would like to see the festival happen and we agree, that is why we have been hard at work talking with organizers, sponsors, storytellers, and community members about locations and a timeline. We aim to get the program going in our post covid future.
Thank you for your interest in Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.
Wisdom looks forward to a bright future and wants you to be a part of the story. By giving to the become a friend of Wisdom ongoing program sponsorships or giving this November at Willamette Weeks Give Guide or getting involved as a volunteer you will be part of a future that is bright for our Native community.
