Get Excited About DOS Year III - Career Pathway Planning

On Friday the production team and I traveled to Seattle to interview Karina Walters. Her interview is the second to be recorded for our current Discovering Our Story (DOS) project series, focused on career pathway planning.

The first, recorded back in August at the annual Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) meeting, was with Dr. Kevin Goodluck - an MD from Albuquerque, NM. Check out the AAIP's website - http://www.aaip.org/ - for updates on next year's meeting in Anchorage, Ak.

Karina Walters, PhD (Choctaw), is the Director of the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute (IWRI), which is based out of the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. the IWRI vision is to support the inherent

rights of Indigenous peoples to achieve full and complete health and wellness by collaborating in decolonizing research and knowledge building and sharing. Check out some of their awesome research at www.iwri.org. Among their many projects, Karina is currently working on an investigation of heart health across generations in native communities and the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Research Training program, which aims to increase the number of AI/AN health researchers to successfully garner major grant funding for health issues that are tribal priorities.

Get excited for the third year of DOS, being produced this spring!

On a bus

Hi folks,

A minor update from the Wisdom VISTAs world. We've been attempting to get out in the world as much as possible. Pictured is Isobel and Emma on a bus to a Talking Circle on Indigenous Sustainability put on by PSU for their Social Sustainablity Month program, this is fitting since November was also Native American heritage month throughout the country. It turned out to be a great talk with Judy Bluehorse Skelton speaking with great articulation on the subject. A number of the VISTAs went to the Confederated Tribes of the Umitilla Indian Reservation for Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) facilitation. This too was a wonderful event, with lots of new insight on CBPR and facilitation in the Native community. Well that's enough for now, I hope everyone is enjoying the sunny (but crisp) days this week. Until next time. -Jacob

Sheet Mulching

Have you over wintered your garden yet? Sheet mulching or cover cropping your garden bed for the winter is one of the best things you can do for your garden. During our rainy winters, a lot of soil erosion happens. Sheet mulching or growing cover crop helps keep precious top soil where we want it. Additionally, after a whole season of growing, it's good to plant cover crops that will help bring nutrients back to the top soil. It is getting a bit late to plant a cover crop, but adding soil amendments, like gypsum and agricultural lime are great ideas. Then, you can sheet mulch right over the amendments.

We recently sheet mulched a new bed that we'll use to grow even more veggies this coming spring! Before sheet mulching, it's good to cut down the grass & weeds - no need to pull them up. Also, if you prefer clean edges around your new sheet mulched bed, dig a small v-shaped border. Then you're ready to go! Here are the layers in our sheet mulch:

layer 1. a weed barrier, often cardboard or newspaper (14 sheets)

layer 2. goat poop (or another sort of manure)

layer 3. leaves

layer 4. compost

layer 5. straw mulching, to hold in moisture and protect compost from astray weed seeds

We then reused some rocks from another part of the yard to border our new veggie bed. A quick and useful afternoon project.

Also, if you're interested and located in the Portland area, please consider taking our Wisdom Gardens survey. Wisdom Gardens is an initiative of Wisdom of the Elders, to provide gardening experiences and education to the urban Native community. The survey is to gather community feedback to help shape our program. Your voice is important and the survey is a short one. Thanks!
Happy Monday!

Goats!

Meet Ebony!And...Ivory! Guess which one's which!

Yes, that's right. We traded in the rabbits for a couple of goats. Way less work right??

Actually, we are just borrowing them from a women a few blocks a way for a few weeks so they can deal with our blackberry situation. What does the tongue feel like of an animal who prefers to munch blackberry stalks above many other, less jagged plants you may ask? I have no idea!

Speaking of removing malevolent foliage, we are having a Garden Work Party next Friday, November 18th from 2-6pm at our office: 3203 SE 109th Ave in Portland. There will be delicious spiced cider for the sipping, and you will get to learn about sweet permaculture techniques like sheet mulching! You can RSVP if you like on the Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159413794154980

The goats and I are excited to see you there!

Thank You Portland Nursery!

Hi All,
Last week we planted some winter starts in our backyard garden space. It was a nice day to be outside, tidying up the backyard before our Elderberry Harvest Event.
Also, all the straw and plant starts were donated by Portland Nursery. We're really grateful for the community support and resources! Every time I visit Portland Nursery, it's such a fun experience and everyone there is so helpful and friendly. I hope you all, readers, got a chance to enjoy their Apple Tasting Festival, these past two weekends.
Also, we'll be going over a permaculture plan for the backyard soon with students from Tryon Life Community Farm, who recently finished their certification (way to go!). We're looking forward to harvest huckleberries, Oregon grapes, and elderberry from our backyard one day!

Post Festival Reflections

Hello again wonderful viewers in internet land.

The NISA festival has come and gone and in my humble opinion was a smashing success. We had great attendance every night, and the storytellers were as amazing as we could have hoped for. I met many wonderful people this weekend and have made new friends that I hope to stay in contact with for a good while.

The NISA Advisory Council decided to institute more structure within its ranks and elected a chair and vice chair to give direction to the council. The role of the advisory council was fleshed out better so that the members now know what role they play for NISA as well as what role NISA plays within WISDOM. The Advisory Council elected three new members including a youth representative as well as Toby Joseph and myself.

Emerging storyteller workshops went fabulously. There was a lot of heartfelt sharing by all and many of the attendees found the inspiration to tell their story at the emerging storytellers matinee after expressing their own feelings of "being too shy" or "not being a storyteller."

The responses and feedback I heard from people at the festival has made all the chaos and stress of planning this festival worthwhile and I can't wait until next year!

Post NISA

Whew! We're all due for an extended nap.

The NISA festival was AWESOME. A big thank you to everyone who made it out for one or more of the four days of storytelling and especially big kudos to everyone who helped to make it happen, from volunteers to master storytellers and from kitchen crew to production team.

This was my first Storytelling Festival and I had a blast. If you didn't get the chance to attend you can hear some of the master storytellers who presented share some of their personal and tribal stories on our website: www.discoveringourstory.org. Check out Woody Morrison, Elaine Grinnell, Ed Edmo, Toby Joseph, and Roger Fernandes. Also on our website is Joe Cantrell, whose photographs from the festival should be uploaded to our facebook account soon!

NISA Festival This Weekend!

Hello fans, friends, and relatives of WISDOM. This Thursday marks the beginning of the Sixth Annual Northwest Indian Storytelling Festival and Emerging Tribal Storyteller Workshops! HOORAY!

So as a special treat to you, I am going to post our unpublished schedule, so you can get a sneak peak at the exciting storytellers we have in store for you!

Thursday, 13 October: 7:00-9:00 PM

6:00 PM Set up tables and booths for the event; contribution and sign-in tables at both doors; raffle table; WISDOM info table; NISA table

6:50 PM Go to podium so we can start at 7:00 PM sharp

7:00 PM Host team welcomes audience to festival

Introduce Cornel Pewewardy who plays opening song and offers prayers

Host and Cornel say a few words about PSU Indigenous Studies

7:10 PM Acknowledge NISA and its mission

Acknowledge Advisory Council members and ask them to stand

7:15 PM Intro Teller #1: Esther Stutzman, Komemma Kalapuya/Coos Storyteller/educator

7:20 PM Teller #1: Esther Stutzman presents (30 minutes)

7:50 PM Mention WISDOM and Discovering Our Story Project

Acknowledge WISDOM board

Acknowledge event and WISDOM volunteers

8:00 PM Introduce Teller #2 Woodrow Morrison, Haida storykeeper and attorney

8:05 PM Teller #2: Woodrow Morrison presents (30 minutes)

8:35 PM Thanks to Audience

Announce end of raffle in 5 minutes

Announcement about weekend’s workshop and festival activities

Host intros Friends of WISDOM; invites audience to become member

8:45 PM Announce raffle winners

8:50 PM Close with a prayer and a song. Close hall at 9:00

Friday, 14 October 2011 – 7:00-10:00 PM

7:00 PM Splac’ta Alla Drum group plays while audience arrives

7:25 PM Host team goes to podium so we can start promptly at 7:30 PM

7:30 PM Host team welcomes audience to festival

Acknowledge sponsors

Introduce Max Defender and give invocation

7:35 PM Max Defender elder gives invocation

7:45 PM Acknowledge NISA and its mission

Acknowledge Advisory Council members and ask them to stand

Acknowledge NISA members and ask them to stand

7:50 PM Introduce Teller #1: Tajuraden Blackhorn-Delph (That's my mom!)

7:55 PM Teller #1: Tajuraden Blackhorn-Delph (30 minutes)

8:25 PM 10 Minute Break

8:35 PM Mention Discovering Our Story Project

Acknowledge WISDOM board

Acknowledge event and WISDOM volunteers

Introduce Teller #2: Toby Joseph

8:40 PM Teller #2: Toby Joseph (30 minutes)

9:10 PM Acknowledge WISDOM board

Acknowledge WISDOM volunteers

Introduce Teller #3: Elaine Grinnell

9:15 PM Teller #3: Elaine Grinnell (30 minutes)

9:45 PM Thanks to audience

Introduce Friends of WISDOM; invite audience to become Friends

9:50 PM Thank audience; mention Saturday festival tellers and Sunday matinee

9:55 PM Close auction

10:00 PM Close with a prayer and song. Close hall at 10:00

Emerging Teller Workshops

Saturday, 15 October

8:00 AM Breakfast

8:45 AM Opening song

9:00 AM Open with prayer

9:05 AM Open group session with a welcome

9:10 AM Introduce all master tellers

9:15 AM Introduce workshop sessions

9:25 AM Break for workshop sessions

9:30-10:30 “What do you want to know about being an effective storyteller?”

10:30-11:00 Break

10:45-12:00 Youth: “Awakening the Spark of Storytelling”/ Adult: “Captivating Your Audience”

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:00 Youth: “Captivating Your Audience”/ Adult: “Awakening the Spark of Storytelling”

2:00-2:20 Break

2:20-3:20 “Intellectual Property Rights”

3:40-4:40 “Finding Your Story and Your Voice”

5:00 Dinner

Saturday, 15 October 2011 7:00-10:00 PM

7:00 PM Max Defender Drum plays while audience arrives

7:25 PM Host team goes to podium so we can start promptly at 7:30

7:30 PM Host team welcomes audience to festival

Acknowledge sponsors

Introduce elder to give invocation

7:35 PM Elder gives invocation

7:45 PM Acknowledge NISA and its mission

Acknowledge Advisory Council and ask them to stand

Acknowledge NISA members and ask them to stand

7:50 PM Introduce Teller #1: Darlene Foster

7:55 PM Teller #1: Darlene Foster (30 minutes)

8:25 PM Break for 10 minutes

8:35 PM Mention Discovering Our Story Project

Acknowledge WISDOM board

Acknowledge event and WISDOM volunteers

Introduce Teller #2: Roger Fernandes

8:40 PM Teller #2: Roger Fernandes (30 minutes)

9:10 PM Acknowledge WISDOM board

Acknowledge WISDOM volunteers

Intro Teller #3: Ed Edmo

9:15 PM Teller #3: Ed Edmo (30 minutes)

9:45 PM Thanks to audience

Introduce Friends of Wisdom; invite audience to become member

9:50 PM Thank audience; mention Saturday festival tellers and Sunday Matinee

9:55 PM Close auction

10:00 PM Close with a prayer and a song.

Emerging Storytellers Workshop

Sunday, October 16, 2011

9:00 AM Breakfast

9:30-10:00 AM “Traditional Introductions”

10:45-12:00 Private VIP Matinee

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch

Emerging Storytellers Matinee

Sunday, October 16, 2011

12:50 PM Splac’ta Alla Drum group begins to play just prior to event opening

Host team goes to podium to start event promptly at 1PM

1:00 PM Host team welcomes audience to festival

Acknowledge sponsors of event

Acknowledge NISA and its mission

Acknowledge Advisory Council members and ask them to stand

Acknowledge NISA members and ask them to stand

1:10 PM Invocation by elder

1:25 PM Introduce first group of emerging tellers

1:30 PM Circle of Introduction of first three tellers; 7 minute presentations each

1:55 PM Announcements

2:00 PM Introduce second group of emerging tellers

2:05 PM Circle of intros of second group of tellers; 7 minute presentations

2:30 PM 10 minute break

2:40 PM Announcements

2:45 PM Introduce third group of emerging tellers

2:50 PM Circle of intros of third group of tellers; 7 minute presentations

3:10 PM Announcements

3:15 PM Introduce fourth group of emerging tellers

3:20 PM Circle of intros of fourth group or tellers; 7 minute presentations

3:45 PM Host acknowledges Friends of WISDOM; invites audience to become members

3:50 PM Close silent auction

4:00 PM Closing song and prayer to wrap up festival

Now don't you go leaking this to the media ya hear!!!

On second thought....if you think they'll print it.....>.>

Hi World,

It's been a little while. I'm still here and still planning, thinking, envisioning ways to raise funds. We now have a wonderful Fundraising Committee that has been meeting weekly for the past month, working to provide support for Wisdom projects. It's been fun :). In other news, Oregon's AmeriCorps "kick-off" day was this week as well as the AmeriCorps leadership training, facilitated by Jeff Birdsall, past director of Mt Adams Center for the Northwest Service Academy. I met a lot of amazing and excited folks looking to take part in communities around the state. I especially enjoyed connecting with fellow AmeriCorps serving in the Portland area doing similar work. There are so many amazing organizations out there and now I look forward to connecting with more of them soon. That's it for now. I'll try not to be such a stranger in the coming months. Cheers -Jacob

Hi all -

In celebration of fall and the harvest season - Wisdom is having an Elderberry Harvest Celebration event. Above is the flier, including date, time, description, & location.

You can also check & RSVP at the Facebook event page:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=253085591403028

Hope to see you there!

Native Science and Climate Change

For many Native communities, a shifting climate means a dramatic change in the abundance and accessibility of plants and animals they depend on. As migration patterns, water flows, and plant propagation patterns shift, Native communities will need to change locations and practices to adapt to these changes in climate and mitigate harmful impacts. How does this look when a tribe is limited to a small piece of reserved land to do all of their food and resource gathering? The federal government is obligated by the constitution to respect the rights of Native people to gather food and resources off reservations. How do we make sure that obligation is upheld?

This is one of the major themes discussed last week at a conference I attended about the role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in facing the challenges of climate change. It was hosted by Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians up in Seattle and featured speakers from various tribal communities, governments and federal agencies.

How do we facilitate the blending of Western and Native science to help Native and non-native communities lesson the impacts of climate change while preserving and respecting Native science and communities?

Many attendees shared stories about the innumerable abuses done to them and their communities after TEK was shared with federal agencies. Traditional fishing grounds, once exposed, have been opened up to commercial interests forcing locals to travel miles away to fish. Traditional huckleberry-gathering sights have been overrun and damaged by people who do not respect the land, the plant, or the rights of Native peoples to use the land. Information about salmon and river ecology has been exploited for the sake of profits...and the list goes on. Naturally, many Native communities are hesitant to reveal TEK to Western Scientists or Federal agencies. At the same time, TEK is proving to be a vital tool for Native and non-Native communities alike in the struggle to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

What steps can we take to ensure that Traditional Ecological Knowledge is respected and preserved, not abused? How do we protect ecological knowledge that tribes depend on while making elements of it accessible to Western science?

Some conclusions from conference participants include the need to consistently reserve a place at the table for Native communities to be consulted about how their land or knowledge is being used. Consultation is required by law, but often takes the form of Government agencies or Industry simply informing Native communities of their plans. Conference participants also sighted the need for Western scientists to formally acknowledge the legitimacy of the outcomes and decisions that are based on TEK, and respect the need to preserve the knowledge and use it respectfully and with consent from tribes.

The Tribal Climate Change Project, based out of the University of Oregon, is doing great work in these areas. Check em out!

Greetings Fans, Friends, and Relatives

It's been awhile since my last update, and alot has happened in the past few weeks!

First and foremost the deadline for applications for the mentorship program has passed and we've filled all but two of our slots. So if there are any master tellers out there there's still a chance to join us this year!

Our master storytellers for this year are:
Darlene Foster
Ed Edmo
Elaine Grinnell
Esther Stutzman
Roger Fernandez
Rose High Bear
Tajuraden Blackhorn-Delph
Woodrow Morrison

With only two more teams left, act soon and they could be you!

Hot on the Presses

Hello friends and fans of WISDOM! It's been awhile since last we met, but we're back!

These past few weeks have been spent preparing for our next wave of promotional materials and outreach attempts which will be aimed at media outlets and university communities advertising for the Sixth Annual Storytelling Festival this October. I've been collecting contact information for media sources throughout the northwest and am working on the final revisions for our press releases. Within the next few weeks I'll also be sending invitations out to Native Student Groups throughout the region as well.

Well until next time folks!

Double Dig Party

Ever double dug? we have!

On Monday we partnered with Learning Garden Laboratories to host a workshop on double digging. For those of you unacquainted with the process, it is perhaps the most labor intensive method of improving soil health, but one of the most effective and also a barrel of fun (as long as you aren't trying to do it by yourself...).

The main reasoning behind the double dig method is that each layer of soil has unique properties and microorganisms. As such, these distinct layers should not just be mixed willy-nilly. So how to aerate the soil without mixing the layers? The basic idea is to remove the top layer, mix some compost into the second layer, and then replace the top layer, with all of the larger stones and organic (or not so organic...) matter sorted out. Sounds easy, right?

Stay posted for more info on fun garden events!

We Opened Our House and Lived to Tell About It

Hi everyone! I know you have been on the edge of your seat waiting to see what crazy shenanigans we are have been up to! well, wait no further...here's an update!

Yesterday Wisdom of the Elders hosted our first open house at our new location. We spent all day scrubbing, sweeping and sweating over the stove in preparation. Members of the board, new friends from Learning Gardens Laboratory and other members of the Wisdom community came to enjoy the massive amounts of food we prepared while basking in the glorious late-summer dusk.

One of the highlights of the evening was the huge amounts of Raita that Emma made with some of the cucumbers we have been swimming in ever since the plants in the yard surprisingly decided they were exceptionally pleased with their situation.

It was nice to meet new people, hear about everyone's exciting projects and share ours. The plan is to have an open house once a season so stay tuned!

Speaking of climate change, check out this amazing film about the Native inhabitants of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia and their fight against big oil: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3bKmz4od3g

See you soon!

isobel

hello world,

this has been a rather quiet week at the office, as various team members have been attending different trainings and such. the quiet has been conducive to getting a lot of work and research done, yay! I've been polishing up the logo and postcard designs for Wisdom Gardens. Hopefully, they'll have their debut next week. 

Also, we did our weekly garden visit yesterday. Below are some progress photos. We're really rooting (haha pun intend) for our watermelon plant!

grow baby watermelon, grow!

err'body in the garden plot watering & weeding.

happy weekend everyone -- it should be a sunny, warm one!

-- kaitlyn

If You Build It, They Will Come.

Hello world of the internet, it's time for your weekly update from the fantastically fabulous Fox!

This week has been filled with lots of exciting research! Everything from economics to environmental concerns to running silent auctions, no topic is too elusive to be read and comprehended! Most excitingly was my stumbling upon the Legislative Environmental Impact Report from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Their prognosis for climate change?

Western Washington will be underwater, the rivers will all dry up, Eastern Washington will burn, and all the salmon will die!

YIKES!

Looks like we've got alot of work to do to be ready for 2080!

office eats & garden update

Some photos of an office lunch potluck we had a couple weeks ago! We made Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini Radish Slaw from the Smitten Kitchen blog. All the produce was bought from local Portland farmer markets. Speaking of local produce, check out our cucumber plants below. We've been getting a pretty good harvest of a few cucumbers a week from our three plants. Aren't they cute when they start out?

The cucumbers were planted in a lot of compost and nutrient rich top soil, which has really helped them along!
Our office community garden plot at Earl Boyles has a new fall harvest of radish, kale, red beets, and an optimistic winter squash. We've been using heirloom seeds from the American Center for Sustainability. Thanks guys!

World News!

Well, my world news at least,

Many new things, much to tell. I have been reading, writing, planning and preparing for all kinds fundzies. Most exciting is the speaker event at Ecotrust, where we have Dr. Maresca speaking about ethnobotany and Native Traditional Medicine. I am also preparing for a trip to Bozeman, Montana where I will be attending a grant writing conference for the organization.

Lastly, as shown in the photo, I had the privilege to attend a "Discover Our Story" recording held at Portland Community Media in North Portland. This was a wonderful experience to witness. Myself and a couple other fellow VISTA's learned, watched and tried to stay out of the way as the production team rose to the occasion and seemed to create a polished work out of thin air. Effortless. It was thrilling to watch.

I hope all are happy and healthy out there. I look forward to next time.

-Jacob

Meetings, Databases, and Publicity, Oimoi!

Greetings from NISA! Been quite the productive week, advertising the festival and mentorship program to the four corners of the Pacific Northwest. I've contacted the storytellers guilds of the region and they're each putting our festival in their newsletter and forwarding the information to their boards of directors.

Next step is contacting the equivalent of a cultural office for each tribe in Washington to spread the word as far as possible. We have one master storyteller who has submitted their application, and four who have confirmed their interest in the program. So we're about half way there!

PCM Rocks My Socks

Last week we had a meeting with some folks from Portland Community Media, who are awesome! They offer classes on all elements of producing professional video and audio that are perfect for the economically impaired. Once you are certified, individuals and groups in the community can borrow their cameras and editing equipment. Such an amazing community resource!

As part of our training for the year, some of us are going to be taking classes on video production and editing. I just signed up for a Final Cut Pro class that starts in September. Exciting!

Also, in case you didn't know, Wisdom of the Elders has a tv show on Public Access, which is run by PCM. The show is part of the Discovering Our Stories project and airs the first Sunday of every month. Click here to check out past episodes.

happy viewing!

isobel

Meet Jaap and Sven

The long awaited video of our Netherland Dwarf rabbits being moved into their freshly cleaned, spacious, new rabbit hutch! Meet Jaap, the mother, who is darkish brown and Sven, the daughter, who is orange-y. We thought it was only appropriate that they have culturally reflective names, even if they're traditionally boys names :)

This week I've been lucky enough to sit in on a session of the Hollywood Theatre's Project Youth Doc program. For those of you who haven't heard of this awesome organization, formerly known as Film Action Oregon, they provide top-of-the-line film production education to youth over a one month period. The instructors (two members of Wisdom's own production team!) cover everything from the basics of camera operation to post-production with Final Cut Pro. At the end of the month each group of youth in the program has produced a stellar documentary short which is ready to be screened on the big screen at the Hollywood Theatre - stay tuned for details about the screening in early Sept. and get excited to learn more about marijuana and teens, queer teens, and the 2012 apocalypse!

To learn more about the Hollywood Theatre, and PYD in particular, check them out at: http://hollywoodtheatre.org/education/project-youth-doc/

NISA Festival and Mentorship Announcement

With the completion of endless revision of our materials our poster for the Sixth Annual NISA Festival has been sent out along with our announcement and application form for the upcoming Tribal Storyteller Mentorship Program! Immediately after release of the WOTE Newsletter e-mails began coming in expressing interest in the program, so hopefully soon we'll have the ten teams assembled and accepted but until then spread the word!

Paddle to Swinomish

The week of July 25-30 was spent at Canoe Journey for the Paddle to Swinomish. People from Alaska to Mexico, Australia to Maryland came out to join in the amazing time of cultural sharing and revitalization known as Canoe Journey. I arrived just as the canoes were pulling onto shore in droves in the pouring rain, coming into the inlet in groups of three to five and waiting to be invited into Swinomish before being assisted by the community up the sandy hill. Nights were spent sharing stories at a freshly created firepit at the NW Indian College along with the California Indian Storytellers Association.

The experience was truly awe-inspiring. So many people from all over coming together in the right way to share of each others company, culture, and hospitality. I learned a great deal about myself just from listening to the stories that the elders shared, and met many amazing people. Next year's journey is headed to Squaxin Island just outside my hometown, and I am definitely going to make sure I can make it out there as well!

Photo from EcoTrust event

Here we are tabling at Ecotrust! Someone just pointed a camera at us and to hide the awkwardness we just grinned hugely. Also we were having fun.

End of another busy week at the office! This week we were a bit short staffed, with Rose and Fox up in Washington working hard to promote the NISA Festival and Katie feeling a bit under the weather. Despite the lack of supervision, those of us left continued to make strides on our individual projects and even managed to find time to move our rabbits into their new home (stay tuned for a video of the great unveiling from Kaitlyn). Things are looking up at our garden plot as well, with winter crops making their way into a beautiful key-hole shaped bed.

Upcoming: I'm super excited to start training with Film Action Oregon on Monday to learn the basics of video production - knowledge that should prove invaluable as I begin to work more closely with Wisdom's production team!

Wisdom at EcoTrust!

Greetings lovers of music and Wisdom!

Join us at the Natural Capital Center, a hub for ideas and urban community, for the last of a unique series of free outdoor concerts that tell a story about how to live deliberately in our bioregion. This Thursday is your last chance to lounge outside, listen to beautiful music, and learn about some of the many local organizations that are working for a more just and sustainable world.

Wisdom of the Elders will be tabling along with many other inspiring groups, so come on by and visit us! The entire event will be solar powered, and will feature free bike valet.

Sundown at Ecotrust

Thursday, July 28th

721 NE Ninth Ave.

5:30pm - 8:30pm

FREE, with donations happily accepted

Featuring music by: The Dimes and The Greater Midwest

Hope to see you there!

Sniffles and Spreadsheets

Hello out there,

This has been a fast and rather snotty (at least for me) week around here. Fortunately my cold is clearing up in time for some sun, or at least lack of rain, this weekend!

I have been working on editing the project description and production timeline for Wisdom of the Elders Radio: Series Four, and finishing up a spreadsheet of the eight tribes we will be working with. Next week I will hopefully begin touching base with them and updating them on the new developments. For instance, part of the production process will be training youth in science journalism and then planning a week-long science field camp where they will be able to put their new media and science skills to use! Very exciting!

Are you interested in learning more about how climate change is affecting indigenous communities? Check out the Indigenous Environmental Network. They are awesome.

Have a lovely weekend!

isobel

NISA News

Well this week has been spent adding the final touches to our NISA publicity materials including our very important mentorship application, and the first poster by yours truly. When not working on our publicity materials I have been undertaking the task of finding good articles for the VISTA team to read. Everything from Supreme Court decisions on Indian Policy, to history of Oregon Tribes, to the most peculiar practices of the Nacirema Tribe as an example of the importance of cultural relativism.

Next week, Rose and I will be at Canoe Journey at Swinomish. Ought to be an exciting adventure!

Photoshop Hyjinx

Yay photoshop trainings! :D

we cans use computer!!!!!

Wednesday July 20th - photoshop training!

Today we had our second within-team training. The first was one that I led to bring everyone up to speed with their excel skills, which immediately came in handy - we've now got some pretty good looking databases! This one, as you may or may not be able to tell from the beautiful graphics both in this post and above, was on the basics of Photoshop and led by Kaitlyn. Keep an eye out for examples of our new-found skills in the promotional material for Wisdom events from here on out. We're all looking forward to our next Kaitlyn led training on InDesign in a few weeks!

Tour de Coop

Last Saturday, the 16th, we went on Growing Gardens' Tour de Coop. We visited several coops in the SE of Portland. Maybe next year we'll get to check out the NE coops. The video is a short clip I took at Fosterville, a property in SE with several homes and residents. Sorry for the shakiness and compressed quality, but you get the idea :)

Fosterville - Their space was really beautiful, sustainable, and fun to visit. Some inspiring aspects of their property were rain barrels catching water from the gutters, green roofs planted with succulents, and an outdoor oven (photos at bottom of post).

Some chicken flocks we meet included varieties of: Rhode Island Reds, Dominiques, Ameraucanas, Welsummers, Wyandottes. Wyandottes are pretty popular, and I learned that Ameraucanas lay pretty blue, green eggs. Indian Runner ducks are adorable! Chickens seem to be relatively independent, but the ducks we met roamed the yard together. Also, the ducks and chickens shared the coop and co-existed quiet well.

The tour was a great opportunity to see different styles and constructions of coops. There were a lot of clever designs - one I particularly liked had the hens' roosting space above a compost bin for some simplified cleaning. Additionally, I loved the inclusion of old windows, screen doors, and other refurbished house decor as design elements of the various coops.

It was nice to meet all you Portland chicken owners! With any luck, Wisdom will have a coop in next year's tour ;)

El Gallinero Azul (The Blue Coop)

green roof, Fosterville

outdoor oven, Fosterville

Indian Runner ducks, Fox Foul (Fowl!) Farm

Full moon Friday!

Hello,

Happy full moon to you! The Algonquian people of the the North and Eastern U.S. call the July moon the Full Buck Moon. When the full moon is named in English it often refers to the names given by the Algonquian people. Interesting, no? Of course there are many other names from many other tribes in the U.S. and beyond. I invite all to research the names further!

In the Development world, there has been much progress in terms of learning, growing and understanding. Much of my time has been spent reading, preparing and compiling information. I have new spreadsheets, new calenders and new grants forming. Some other highlights would be the worm bin, a very worthwhile board meeting with important sponsors (including a potluck!) and a meaningful visit to our wonderful community garden plot located near Earl Boyles middle school.

Hope all are enjoying the sun! -Jacob Baynes VISTA Development Assistant

Hi Everyone!

End of another busy week here at Wisdom - from board meetings to cleaning rabbit hutches, from webinars to tasty treats on friday.

I have begun to dig into the vast amount of information in our documents relating to Discovering Our Story and have also been making headway on a GIS map of the area marking points of interest for future VISTAs.

Looking forward to a sunny weekend!

Avast, Land Lubbers!

Ahoy!

Today it was pirate day in the Wisdom office! Not really, but hopefully we will be implementing our theme Fridays soon.

Lots of progress was made this week on the radio program. Now that I have bionic Excel skills, I have been busting out spreadsheets left and right. Purple ones! Green ones! Ones with penguins in the background!

On a more serious note, this week I have been reading really interesting material about women of color in science fields, since part of the goal of the radio program will be to encourage Native Americans to pursue science and math-related careers. Did you know that women of color are severely underrepresented in all science fields, as well as in research-based universities? Here is a link to an article if you would like to learn more: http://www.terc.edu/work/1513.html

Aye aye!

isobel

Upcoming Ecotrust event w/ Dr. Maresca

Hi all,

It's been a productive week. We've gotten the details of our upcoming talk, by Dr. Maresca, figured out. We even got our flier together, check it out!

Also, we'll have a table at Sundown at Ecotrust on July 28th. Come out and visit us and enjoy free music.
This Saturday, we'll be going on the Growing Garden Tour de Coops. Excited to see chickens of Portland! It's a week of events & fun!

Drafting NISA Materials

This week has been spent getting our materials for the upcoming NISA Festival and Mentorship Program prepared. Created a poster for the festival, drafted an application for our mentorship program, organized our databases, and completed a draft for NACF to try and get a larger honorarium for our storytellers.

We also had an excel training from Emma Robson which has the team much better prepared to be the spreadsheet wizards that we all need to be. I've personally been tackling the mountain of learning how to use photoshop with the assistance of Kaitlyn Rich, certainly a handy program but quite inaccessible if one doesn't know how to use it.

That's all from this side of WISDOM!

Fox Blackhorn-Delph
Project Assistant for NISA

An update from Team NISA

Week Two has allowed for a lot of individual work to get done which has allowed me to start tackling the task of organizing our sometimes quite chaotic files to create directories for ease of future use. I've compiled a database of universities in the northwest with contacts for their native student organizations or academic programs to start advertising for the NISA festival come the start of Fall. We've also had to shift a few of our timetables around and are in the process of recruiting 10 master storytellers to tutor 2 emerging storytellers each for a 9-month period and we need to find them by the end of August!

On the bright side making community connections is going to be much easier from now on. We've chosen a Harvest theme for this year's festival. And starting next week we're going to be working hard on our initial announcements and developing promotional materials and advertisement. Quite an exciting time here at NISA.

~Fox Blackhorn-Delph
Project Assistant for NISA