Wisdom of the Elders, Inc
A letter from the Executive Director - Teresa Montana
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
Connecting Wisdom: Summer Updates and Exciting Opportunities Await
Greetings Friends of Wisdom, We hope this finds you all well and enjoying your summer. Happy Summer Solstice! Wisdom has been very busy picking up our team and programs after this pandemic, and we are grateful to be back up and able to share! We want to say thank you...
Wisdom Projects, Community Action, & Events
Read more about what Wisdom of the Elders is doing in the community.
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 Executive Director:
More updates coming soon... In the meantime, please read more of our Newsletters
Hello and greetings to all,
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 excellent fall colors of our beautiful 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.