My mailbox is stuffed with fliers from L.L. Bean and Lands End along with a bundle of requests from indigenous charities: American Indian College Fund, American Indian Youth Running Strong and St. Joseph’s Indian School.

This year I’m supporting nationally the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian and locally, Wisdom of the Elders.

How wonderful that an organization like Wisdom—right here in the Pacific Northwest—has as its central mission the preservation of oral histories of American Indians.

The Wisdom group owes its success to Rose High Bear, an indefatigable elder who believes so much in the cause that she’s dedicated her life to preserving native cultures.

High Bear is a true force of nature who tirelessly pursues grant money to support storytelling projects. She’s the most successful fund-raiser I know—maybe because her heart and soul are woven through the project.

Rose and her dauntless crew are ready to videotape and sound-record stories, preserving them for generations to come.

Stories about coyote. Bear Woman. Raven. Stories about the beginning of time. The beginning of The People. Stories that might otherwise be lost.

This year, rather than giving my honey a sweater or gloves, I’m donating to Wisdom of the Elders. Here’s the link: http://wisdomoftheelders.org/

To see Gene Tagaban’s story about raven click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pP8nXDoS34

[Blog 22 in honor of Native American Heritage Month.]