iqonic-layouts
domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init
action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home/csgw8ic6a0dp/public_html/thevanetwork.org/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6121Take a seat by the fire.
Close your eyes. Feel the warmth on your skin, see the dancing of the smoke, the rhythm of the flame, and listen – not just with your ears, but with the part of you that remembers. The part that knows the land beneath you, the stars above you, and the space in between. This is where it begins. In the glow of the fire, by the heart of the hearth of the flame, in the sacred space of connection of all things. This is where stories are born, where they rise like sparks into the night, carrying wisdom from the past into the future, from generation to generation, calling us back to remember our role as custodians of creation.
The VA Network is a not-for-profit streaming service dedicated to amplifying the voices of Indigenous and First Nations peoples and their allies. Through the power of storytelling, film, art, and song we promote cultural preservation, foster global connection, and inspire action for conservation, understanding, and collective healing whilst passing down the only tool that matters, that will last, and always be relevant – Good Story.
Every story shared, every voice uplifted, and every relationship formed fuels a movement to honour the past, heal the present, and inspire a more connected future.
Welcome to the campfire.
A space Where Stories Find Their Place, Voices Are Honored, & Knowledge Lives.
The Fire is Lit. The Stories Are Waiting.
For tens of thousands of years, stories have been carried through firelight, passed down by those entrusted with their care. They were more than entertainment – they were the history, the law, the repositories for not just the what, not just things, but the how to know, the ways to know and to be in this world. But in a time-place that moves too fast, many of these stories have been taken, severed from the lands and people they belong to, taken out of relation.
The VA Network exists to help restore the balance.
This is not just another streaming service – it goes beyond that to be something so much more. It is a movement, a place where ancient knowledge meets modern storytelling methods in this digital campfire space that the world can gather around – at any time, from anywhere – and step back into relation. It is a place of remembering, of restoring, of re-becoming custodians of creation, and of retrieving forward the knowledge we were never meant to lose.
Every film, every voice, every image, every song carries with it something greater:
the power to shift perspectives, to heal, to preserve, to ignite action.
So we invite you, from all corners of the earth, to gather around the fire. To Listen. To learn. To Love. And to carry the embers forward.
That is our role – it’s time we remember who we are.
We move forward. Not alone, but together. As one people, one story, one fire.
the path to rebecome custodians of creation
The VA Network exists because these stories cannot be allowed to fade. They are not simply tales from the past; they are tools for the present and keys to the future. They carry the knowledge and ways of knowing that guide us through the challenges we face today — the climate crisis and environmental destruction, the loss of biodiversity, rising inequality, cultural erasure, forced displacement, deepening mental health crises, and the growing fracture between people, place, and purpose. These stories teach us how to re-become custodians: how to live in harmony with the earth, care for one another, uphold justice, and honor the wisdom of those who came before us.
The VA Network is a platform, a gathering place, and a movement. It amplifies Indigenous voices, knowledge keepers, and truth-tellers through film, podcasts, articles, and conversations that are rooted in place, in truth, and in lore. Through these stories, we do more than inform – we invite reflection, we spark dialogue, we build bridges across cultures, and we inspire action. Telling right story that is born from Country and community – that is how we change the world. That is how we leave a real legacy for all those who come after us.
We are forging a different way forward – one where storytelling does not strip but restores, where culture is not commodified but strengthened, where the old laws of reciprocity still hold weight. The VA Network is not just about media or content or entertainment. It is about responsibility. It is about ensuring that the knowledge of the past is protected, nourished, and carried forward – so that those yet to come can walk a path of belonging, wisdom, and care.
Stories from the spaces in-between
All knowledge lives within the web of relations. It is not stagnant, nor does it sit alone; it moves, breathes, and thrives in the sacred spaces in between all things.
That space is the VA – the spaces in-between. Not a space that separates but relates. The space where connection hums, meaning is made, and all knowledge is stored. It is the heartbeat of reciprocity, the rhythm of respect, the sacred current that ties land to people, people to spirit, and past to future through the choices we make. This is where all the worlds’ wisdom resides – not locked in static facts in books, but in the living relationships we nurture with all the human and nonhuman entities in a landscape.
Everything we are, everything we do, is woven into the great, ever-shifting pattern of creation. This has been known by different cultures all over the world, known by different names, different symbols, different metaphors, but always known. Since before time was counted stories have been the vessels of wisdom, the maps that guide us, the songs that carry us. They teach us values, offer perspectives, and help us remember the balance we’ve forgotten. Through stories, we are guided back to our role not as takers or owners, but as custodians of creation, responsible for tending the web of life that holds us all.
Thank you for standing in the circle & For tending the flame with us.
Our Partners
Thank you for standing in the circle & For tending the flame with us.
Nonprofit Partners & Initiatives
Thank you for standing in the circle & For tending the flame with us.
In The Press
Step into Story. Step into Place. Step into right relation.
The land is not just soil and stone – it is memory, language, and story. It all comes from the land. The land holds it all.
Every place holds knowledge, every river speaks its own song, every mountain remembers, every stones whispers its secrets.
Good story is always rooted in place, and that is how it should be discovered, shared, and honored. This is an invitation to move beyond borders and see the world as it has always been: woven with connection, alive with story. Each name, each territory, each marker is a thread in the great pattern of creation, calling us to remember, to listen, and to see the land for what it truly is – home, teacher, ancestor.
Here, stories are not just told they are carried, sung, and walked. Everything held in right relation. This is story as it was always meant to be: rooted in place, spoken in relation, held in obligation, guided by the knowledge keepers who hold the law of the land.
As you explore, you are not just a visitor, you belong here, and you are being welcomed in.
Welcomed into Country, into story, into remembering what it truly means to be human.
Every action ripples outward, carrying light to places unseen.
The Story is Not Yours to Keep – It’s Yours to Carry
Story is not something you take – it is something you are given, that you are entrusted with. It has weight, a purpose. It moves through you like a current, changing as it passes from hand to hand, shaped by those who receive it, hold it, and pass it on.
The VA Network is not just a place where stories are told; it is a place where they live, where they breathe, where they find their way home. Every person who gathers here – whether to listen, to tell, or to support – enters into a sacred exchange, takes that step into right relation.
When you engage with a story at this campfire, you are not consuming it – you are stepping into relation with it. You are carrying something forward. You are participating in the continuation of knowledge carried through generations, ensuring it does not fade, but strengthens.
Every film, every voice, every image, every person is an ember on this fire. And a fire needs many hands to keep it burning. This is your invitation to come sit by the fire, to bring your stories along side, for the truth is in the aggregate, and we all have something to contribute.
The fire burns brightly so the stories live on, so the wisdom of the land continues to guide us into a future rooted in care, balance, and belonging.
Reminding us of who we are; inviting us to become who we’re meant to be.
Stories are the breath of the land, the heartbeat of the people, and the sacred thread that ties us to the past while binding a future rooted in respect and balance. Stories are medicine. They have the power to heal, to guide, and to transform. Each story is a seed, carrying lessons that grow stronger as they pass through the hands, hearts, and minds of each generation.
The VA Network was born from this understanding. Which is why we call it a digital campfire. A place where the embers of ancient wisdom meet the possibilities of modern technology, where the past and future braid themselves into something strong, enduring, and of purpose and importance. It’s not about archiving wisdom; it’s about bringing it to life, about providing space where knowledge breathes, increases, and expands not only what is known, but what can be known – a fire that sparks new ways of thinking, new ways of being, and new ways of relating to the land, to each other, and to the great web of existence.
This is your invitation to sit by the fire, to listen deeply, and to see the world through the lens of native peoples around the world, sharing their ways as passed through many hands with care around campfires since time begun. It’s not about looking at indigenous knowledge from a ‘global’ perspective, but global problems from an indigenous perspective, with fresh eyes and sciences that have tested over deep time. This is where stories become medicine again, where knowledge grows into wisdom, and where the sacred threads of creation are strengthened for all those yet to come.
Increasing What is known.
Increasing What Can be known.
It’s not about the What but the How. Not about the Things but the Ways. Ways of being, ways of thinking, ways of growing together. This campfire is not here to hold knowledge.
It is here to increase what can be known.
By embracing Indigenous ways of knowing we can remember how to live well, in balance, in relation. These ways aren’t about hoarding wisdom; they are about honoring the space in between and increasing the number of relations we hold. The truth doesn’t sit with one person or one perspective. It sits within the aggregate, in the shared yarns, the collective braiding of stories that build consensus. We all hold a piece of the pattern of creation. We just have to bring them all together, to share our stories freely, and remember that we are all one.
One planet. One people. One fire.
Come sit with us around the fire. Bring your story, your experience, your truth, your contribution to the pyre. Together let us build something that goes beyond entertainment, something that connects, that heals, that moves us all forward to the future we all want, we all dream, and we can all have, if we remember who we are. This isn’t just a campfire. It is a call to remember who we are and who we are meant to be, to step back into our role as custodians of creation.
The fire is lit. The circle is open. The rest is up to Us.
As part of the One Fire Festival, we invite you to gather around a virtual campfire like no other. Our Campfire Sounds are more than just crackling embers and gentle winds; they are the harmonious rhythms of Indigenous artists’ worlds. These captivating audio landscapes are created by the artists themselves, who share their sacred fires burning on their ancestral lands. As you immerse yourself in these evocative sounds, you’ll be enveloped in the warmth of their stories and culture, forging a deep connection to the heart of Indigenous artistry. Join us for this unique fireside experience, where the flames dance to the beat of Indigenous wisdom, and the stories of their lands come alive
Category: Culture • History • People
Type: Special
Awards: Award Winning,
Impact: Racism / Social Inequity / Culture Change
Native Land / Region: Name Name
Meet Dig Jones
The VA Network acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout the world, & their connections to land, sea, & sky.
We pay our respects to Elders past & present, & extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples
on whose land we live, connect, travel, create, & love.
Category: Feature Artist
Impact: Racism / Social Inequity / Culture Change
Native Land / Region: Name Name
Photos featured on the website form the 23/ comeptitone.
Category: Culture • History • People
Type: Special
Awards: Award Winning,
Impact: Racism / Social Inequity / Culture Change
Native Land / Region: Name Name
The VA Network acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country
throughout the world, & their connections to land, sea, & sky.
We pay our respects to Elders past & present, & extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples
on whose land we live, connect, travel, create, & love.
We celebrate the diversity of all First Nations Peoples
& their stories reflected in their unique artistic practices.
Please join us in respecting the ongoing legacy of the first artists of this country, & all countries.
Category: Culture • History • People
Type: Special
Awards: Award Winning,
Impact: Racism / Social Inequity / Culture Change
Native Land / Region: Name Name
As part of the One Fire Festival, we invite you to gather around a virtual campfire like no other. Our Campfire Sounds are more than just crackling embers and gentle winds; they are the harmonious rhythms of Indigenous artists’ worlds. These captivating audio landscapes are created by the artists themselves, who share their sacred fires burning on their ancestral lands. As you immerse yourself in these evocative sounds, you’ll be enveloped in the warmth of their stories and culture, forging a deep connection to the heart of Indigenous artistry. Join us for this unique fireside experience, where the flames dance to the beat of Indigenous wisdom, and the stories of their lands come alive
The VA Network acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country
throughout the world, & their connections to land, sea, & sky.
We pay our respects to Elders past & present, & extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples on whose land we live, connect, travel, create, & love.
We celebrate the diversity of all First Nations Peoples
& their stories reflected in their unique artistic practices.
Please join us in respecting the ongoing legacy of the first artists of this country, & all countries.
⏲ 1hr 15min
Environmentalism / Culture Change
Finding our way back to our role as custodians of creation.
At its core, The VA Network is about connections and celebrating the stories in the spaces in-between.
The VA Network is built on foundations of relation to one another, the more-than-human world, and
Quicklinks:
Acknowledgement Of Country
The VA Network acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout the world, & their connections to land, sea, & sky. We pay our respects to Elders past & present, & extend that respect to all First Nations Peoples
on whose land we live, connect, travel, create, & love.
Category: Acknowledgement Of Country
Featuring: Name Name
Native Land / Region: Name Name