Wisdom of the Elders, Inc
Wisdom of the Elders, Inc
A letter from the Executive Director – Teresa Montana
Join Wisdom of the elders for the 2025 Fall ITEK Internship
Wisdom of the Elders is proud to offer paid internship opportunities that give environmental education, job skills, and career pathway support to people who want to work in the environmental sector.
Indigenous Archive Initiative
Indigenous Archive Initiative
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
Whispers of Winter Wisdom: Embracing the Season’s Serenity with Wisdom of the Elders
Greetings, Hello, Friends of Wisdom, We are always delighted to share with you the programs and events we are engaged in. Our staff has many opportunities to be in the field and at the table with community members and our partners to make plans and strategize on how...
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 Projects, Community Action, & Events
Read more about what Wisdom of the Elders is doing in the community.
Celebrating Indigenous Excellence: The 2023 Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Awards
Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. is thrilled to celebrate the 2023 Indigenous Leadership Awards, a celebration of outstanding Indigenous leaders who have dedicated themselves to the empowerment of their communities and the preservation of their ancestral lands. This year,...
Don Motanic Receives the 2023 Earle R. Wilcox Award
In the heartfelt 2023 Earle R. Wilcox Award Acceptance video, Donald (Don) Motanic, a distinguished figure in the Native American community, and Wisdom of the Elders Board President, radiates humility and gratitude as he receives this prestigious honor. Having served...
Native Gathering Garden Tending Party and Native Plant Giveaway
Join in on the fun with Native Gathering Garden Saturday, April 29th, 10 AM –3 PM 5810 NE 72nd Ave., Portland, OR 97220. Gain experience learning about and giving native plants to the Indigenous community. There will be tools and refreshments provided while supplies...
Wisdom graciously receives First Nations Development Institute Award to assist with Growth
The First Nations Development Institute (FNDI) has awarded a grant to Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. under the Nourishing Native Foods and Health Initiative made possible through generous support from the Northwest Area Foundation and Agua Fund. This grant will help...
Congratulations to the 2022 Wisdom Workforce Development Interns
Wisdom is very proud of you all, and honored to be a part of your growth. Wisdom wants to encourage you to stay connected and active in this growing dynamic community. Great Spirit United Methodist Church, Nellie Stearns and Allen Buck Friends of Tryon Creek, Gabe...
Wisdom receives the 2022 Environment and Sustainability Impact Award from Ninety-Nine Girlfriends
Over the last few months Wisdom has been hard at work writing a grant proposal for the 2022 Impact award which is provided by Ninety-nine girlfriends. Their organization makes annual, large, impactful grants in the Portland Metro/SW Washington region. They fund in...
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, to our Friends of Wisdom,
We hope you all have had a wonderful summer thus far, a few road trips, family gatherings, (or additions!), a dip in a wonderful lake, or trips to the beaches and forests.
First and foremost, we would like to express our immense gratitude for all of our partnerships within our broader community. Our teams always have so many experiences to share about the relationships we build together. We are all looking forward to continuing to grow these partnerships and creating more, as this is how we all can support the same visions and missions for a stronger community for the future.
Our team has been busy with ongoing and new projects. We are excited to share with you news about the creation of our new Apothecary for our ITEK (Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge) Program, designed to enhance the experience and initiate our Indigenous Seed Collection, which aims to propagate and renew plants and foods.
We are continuing conversations with a few places to help us create our own Wisdom Gardens for growing and teaching opportunities.
Seed Bank: Set up a smaller secondary off-site from the central location to establish and maintain a plant & seed bank that centers on climate resilience and Indigenous plants and trees in conjunction with an outreach program that allows the Indigenous community access to free seeds, plants, and other resources to grow their food and medicine
Plant Bank: To be set up at various locations to offer seeds, plants, and growing instructions at no charge to local communities that are easily accessible, including onsite or at community events
We are indeed grateful for our excellent ongoing partnerships, through which we are currently building new opportunities for our teams.