Values

The staff and board of NWF rely on Indigenous values to guide us in our relationships and our work, both internally and externally, at our organization.

The knowledge passed on to us from our ancestors informs our ways of knowing and being in the world and ensure that we think of the next seven generations in all of our actions. We advocate for our values in all of our relationships to affirm the integrity of Indigenous ways of knowing and to build visibility.

Kinship:

At our core, we are human beings who take pride in our relationships with others. We value the relationships among extended families, tribal nations, and communities. We recognize that we are all related, interdependent, and that our collective voice is powerful and necessary in to ensure a world where our future generations can thrive.

Integrity:

We hold ourselves to the highest ethical standards, and strive to act with honesty, transparency and accountability throughout our internal operations and external actions. We recognize that our ancestors expect us to act with good intentions and clear minds on behalf of current and future generations.

Respect:

We value the connections between the land, water, air, all beings and creation. We recognize that everything and everyone come into this world with gifts to contribute. We honor those gifts by acting responsibly toward one another. We do this by listening and engaging with each other, with our external partners, and with our constituencies.

Generosity:

We value communal generosity and reciprocity and strive to build sector connections that are relational rather than transactional.

Courage:

We are working toward systemic change, and the ability to live and work in alignment with our Indigenous cultural values. This is not easy work, but we recognize that we come from strong and resilient ancestors, and we carry the legacy of their stories with us when faced with challenges.

Indigenous Worldview:

We value the multitude of cultural practices, traditions, languages, and ceremonies that connect the Indigenous peoples of this land to one another and to the earth. We believe that Indigenous knowledge and ways of being must guide us in developing and implementing solutions to address the issues our communities currently face.