The Native America nonprofit corporation, Elderberry Wisdom Farm, was created to assist Native Americans with conservation career pathway planning by integrating traditional ecological knowledge with academic classroom education, experiential service-learning activities and cultural and resilience awareness. Our culturally tailored learning model is designed to train and mentor Native Americans and other interns to successfully pursue and accomplish habitat restoration, native plant nursery development, urban forestry, organic agriculture and related careers. Some of our interns are also continuing to pursue higher education.
Our 501(c)(3) nonprofit is currently led by a leadership team of four staff members and dedicated board of directors. We are continuing to accomplish several initiatives: The Traditional Ecological Knowledge Workforce Development Project, The Native American Urban Forestry Project, the Native Plant Nursery Development Project, the Martin High Bear biography and Blue Elderberry Farm LLC. More information is available on our Projects page at this website.
We are grateful to diverse collaborative partners, including conservation groups, government agencies, educational institutions, local native plant nurseries, and farms as they continue to support our efforts. With their support we are able to assist younger generations of emerging Native American leaders and role models committed to help restore their sacred landscapes. This has helped us to successfully integrate traditional knowledge and experiential learning opportunities with western science academics. These partnerships are expanding throughout 2026.
Elderberry Wisdom Farm is also committed to Native American health and wellness resiliency. By reconnecting project participants to their Oldest Grandmother, our cohorts of Native interns are learning about healing by working with and learning from the world of nature in our local ecosystems. No matter where we are from, no matter what our color, ethnicity, or age, she is still our Grandmother Earth. She provides the peace and tranquility that can only come from the spiritual connection with Creator.
We are especially committed to raising public awareness of Native Americans' prophetic role of helping all peoples learn to care for the earth and for one another with respect and honor. Therefore, plans include providing public audiences with multimedia programming and public cultural events to strengthen awareness and understanding of the cultural heritage and traditional knowledge of Native American elders, cultural leaders and indigenous scientists. Because of our commitment to race reconciliation, our strategic communications plan shows how increasingly inclusive communities can strengthen their appreciation and respect for the wisdom and knowledge of Native American wisdom keepers.
Much service learning work continues to occur at Blue Elderberry Farm here in rural Marion County, Oregon. It began with our two-acre farm which has evolved into four acres with our two-acre easement. As the land is restored, teams are expanding several pollinator hedgerows and the Blue Elderberry patch, and using the 24’ x 48’ semi-gable greenhouse, which is surrounded outside by raised vegetable garden beds, and the new 24’ x 48’ shade house currently under development up by our recessed native plant nursery beds.
In 2026, we are beginning to develop our second native plant nursery organic farm property which has been offered to us on a long-term lease. We are outgrowing our space at Elderberry Wisdom Farm so this gives us space to continue to grow native trees and shrubs as we train emerging Native American farmers to develop their own farming microenterprises.
After 28 years of research, interviews and support from dozens of family and friends, the 330-page biography of the late Lakota medicine man and spiritual leader, Martin High Bear was released September 11, 2024. We continue to provide copies to Native schools and colleges and offer it to others at our website. Martin was a spiritual advisor to thousands of people and conducted many ceremonies throughout the Northern Great Plains and beyond. His life was revered by many whose stories are included throughout his biography.
The Seven Commandments of the Sacred Buffalo Calf Woman: Martin High Bear (1919–1995) includes his life story, the history of his family, and the vision of the Seven Commandments, or Seven Teachings. These teachings were recited to him in his vision quest altar in the mid 1970’s shortly after he became a medicine man. Traditional cultural values and rich spiritual qualities along with special messages of race reconciliation for strengthening healing and hope were gifted to him with instructions that they be shared with not just his Native people but also the peoples of the four colors in today’s world.
For more information about our initiatives or if you would like to receive monthly updates, you can sign up for our monthly e-newsletter at the home page of our website. You can also feel free to leave inquiries and comments on our Contact Us page. Those who want to support this work can become a donor by signing up on the Donate page.
Dr. Janice Cockrell is a pediatric rehabilitation physician. She graduated from Northwestern Medical School and is board certified in the specialties of pediatrics and physical medicine and rehabilitation. She was on the adjunct faculty of the Department of Pediatrics at Oregon Health Science University and was Medical Director of the Department of Pediatric Development and Rehabilitation at Randall Children's Hospital.
Now retired, she is continuing her commitment to race equity and social justice, in Vernonia, Oregon, a community of 2000 people in the foothills of the Coastal Range. Having co-facilitated a race equity and social justice dialogue group in Lake Oswego where she previously lived for 19 years, she is now involved in Vernonians for Equality and Racial Justice (VERJ) as well as the Vernonia Community Garden, which donates fresh produce to the local food bank.
She has given lectures on race equity at peace conferences, led a workshop for Lake Oswego High School teachers on racism, consulted with other groups hoping to initiate social justice dialogues and continues to participate in Lake Oswego’s Respond to Racism dialogue. Her immense networking brought her to Elderberry Wisdom Farm.
Wohpe Twofeathers lives in Northern California and serves as Board Communications Secretary of Elderberry Wisdom Farm. She brings with her over 25 years of experience and service in the Native American Community. In earlier years she served the Paradise Pow Wow as a committee member and later co-chair as well as being a committee member for the Oroville Salmon Pow Wow.
She entered the Pow Wow Dance Circle as a Jingle Dress Dancer with a dress that her and her Great Aunt created for a year together. As a Pokanoket Tribal Member from 1999 until around 2010 she was a cultural educator for the west coast, sharing the tribes history and stories with elementary school students through college level. Wohpe has been a family historian and genealogist, not only to discover her own ancestors, but assisting others in their quest as well, focusing on the challenges of Native American Ancestry.
She is also a co-founder with her husband of a California non-profit that was established to help catalyst Native American spirituality and community. Her current projects include outdoor education on culturally significant plants and ecosystems.
Most importantly, Wohpe considers being a wife, a mother of 4 and grandmother of 7 her primary “career” and priority. In younger years she was also a foster mother to 14 children ages ranging from infants to teenagers transitioning out of the system into adulthood.
Roxanna hails from southeast Alaska, with Tsimshian roots near the city of Ketchikan and Metlakatla. She is from the Tribal clan Killerwhale, and subclan bear and eagle. Roxanna is a retired reading specialist and taught for 22 years in various school districts as her husband’s job took them all over the country.
Roxanna is grateful to be a member of the Sealaska Corporation which helped her through school with several scholarships. The commitment to give back to the community has been a big part of Roxanna’s dedication to the field of education. Working with Elderberry Wisdom Farm is in alignment with that wish to give back to the Native community, and she is looking forward to helping youth learn about native plants and how they can help build healthier communities.
Iris M. DeGruy-Bell was Executive Director of the Oregon Youth Development Council (OYDC) from its inception in 2012 until her retirement from government service in 2017. Appointed by Oregon Governor John A. Kitzhaber, M.D., and re-appointed by Governor Kate Brown, she served as the Council’s Chief Administrator.
She has worked with federal and state agencies and national organizations on initiatives aimed at supporting the health and wellbeing of youth and young adults; including the Oregon Health Authority, The Northwest Health Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Prior to her work in state government, Ms. DeGruy-Bell served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Multnomah County. As COO, Ms. Bell oversaw the daily operations of Oregon’s largest County and managed a budget of 1.1 billion dollars.
Ms. DeGruy-Bell has expertise and experience in management principles and methodologies supporting the development and implementation of service programs for federal, state and local government, and has extensive background working with foundations and non-governmental organizations.
Ms. DeGruy-Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Master’s Degree in Government with an emphasis on Public Policy Studies from the School of Politics and Economics at Claremont Graduate University.
She has training in Interdisciplinary Professional Development from Harvard University; Congressional Training in Legislative Affairs and Federal Executive Board training in Executive Leadership.
Rose High Bear, Deg Hit’an Dine/Inupiat, was born and raised in a remote subarctic Athabascan village of McGrath on Alaska’s Kuskoquim River. Following graduation from Oregon State University, she co-founded Wisdom of the Elders, Inc. (Wisdom) in Portland, Oregon in 1993.
For 26 years, she dedicated herself as Executive Director to Wisdom’s mission while developing many programs and multimedia learning models dedicated to Native cultural sustainability, health and wellness resilience, and environmental habitat restoration.
Rose moved in 2017 to rural Marion County where she founded Elderberry Wisdom Farm. She upholds its mission by providing TEK Workforce Development Services for Native community and others around the greater Salem area and in the Willamette Valley. Rose is the Founding Director and also serves as non-voting member of the board of directors.
