about us
The hands that gather the wood, the voices that call people to sit, and the custodians ensuring that the right stories are carried the right way. This is who we are, and this is why we do what we do.
Welcome to the fire.
Imagine a night beneath an ancient sky, the stars not distant, but close enough to hear the stories sung on the breeze, the wisdom of those who came before, that tend to their fires in skycamp share. The fire in front of you is like that one there, it crackles softly, its sparks rising to meet the constellations like messengers carrying stories to the world of spirit and back again. The warm sand beneath your feet vibrates with life, grounding you while the smoke dances, moving through you, singing you in, welcoming you back.
This is where the VA Network began – at the fire, under this sky that holds time like a breath. It began sitting with me, Andrew D Flanagan, and my mentor and elder, Dig Jones. His hands moved with purpose, carving stories into the earth, patterns of creation drawn into the sand. They weren’t stories of the past, but maps of the way forward, of retrieving forward the ways of the past to guide the path for the future. Symbols etched into the land to guide not just our feet but our hearts and our spirits. Each mark held the weight of generations past, the wisdom of lives lived in deep relationship with the land, and all that call it Home.
The fire doesn’t belong to you or me. It belongs to the stories. Our role is to keep it burning. To gather the people and make space for the truth to rise with the smoke. There is nothing more important.
The VA. the relational space between all things.
gather around the heart of the hearth of the flame.
The Vā (‘vah’) comes from the Samoan belief of the sacred relational space in between all things – the living connection that binds people, land, and ancestors. It is not empty, nor is it still. It is the opposite. The Vā is where we store all knowledge, not as a possession but as a living force, flowing through the web of connections that sustains all things. Everything we are, everything we do, is held within the Vā.
The Vā is a reminder: nothing exists in isolation, but in relation. The land needs the people, the people need the stories, and the stories need the land. This sacred space is not just an idea; it is a fundamental law, a pattern, a map for living in harmony with the world, and everything that calls it Home. Forget the Vā, and you forget your role in the great web of life. Forget your role, and the threads begin to unravel, taking balance and connection with them.
The VA Network exists to hold that space, to keep the Vā alive in a world that often overlooks it – or has forgotten it altogether. This isn’t just a streaming platform; it’s a digital campfire, a place where the stories, the land, and the people sit together in relation. Like the fire’s warmth that draws people close, the VA Network gathers us into that sacred space, where the past, present, and future meet, and where those telling the stories are heard by those ready to listen.
The Vā challenges us to see differently, to think differently, to live differently. It asks us to step out of isolation and into connection – to not just amplify voices, but to weave them into the fabric of existence alongside the land, the ancestors, and the generations yet to come. That is the promise we carry here: to strengthen the Vā, to honor its sacredness, and to ensure its ripples continue outward, touching everything they meet.
Not a social platform, but a relational one; not focused on growth, but on increase.
In a world fractured by disconnection, the VA Network is a pathway Home – a journey to remembrance, to belonging, to the wisdom that still lives deep within us. In this age of noise and urgency, where the voices of tradition, of our true histories are often silenced and mocked, we hold space for the voices that matter most. These are the voices that carry stories passed through generations. They are not irrelevant relics of the past but key compass points for navigating a modern life unmoored from the rhythms of land and spirit. These voices don’t just meet the ears; they warm the heart and awaken the spirit those ready to listen, learn, and to act.
The stories we share are not entertainment – they are medicine for a world in crisis. They hold the keys to healing: healing our relationships with the land, with each other, and with ourselves. Within these stories lie the answers to questions we’ve forgotten how to ask – how to live in harmony with the natural world, how to preserve the cultures and languages that hold the memory of the earth, and how to re-become custodians of the creation we are a part of.
These stories remind us that we are not separate from the world – we are part of it. Human beings are not the problem, not when we live within our ecological niche. We all have a role, and our purpose here is carried in the currents of every narrative that has survived the tens of thousands of years we have been singing them.
They teach us not to stand apart but to stand together, as custodians of relationships and active participants in the sacred web of life. They call us back into the pattern of creation, to reclaim our role, and to walk forward with balance and care. This is more than storytelling; it is remembering, restoring, and reweaving the threads that hold us all.
Now is the time to reconnect with the land, our ancestors, & each other, because the world cannot afford to wait.
The threads that once tethered us to the land, to each other, and to spirit are unraveling under the weight of the current economic marketplace; urgency, consumption, and disconnection. We have drifted far from the rhythms that once guided us, yet the wisdom – the ancient, living knowledge that has carried generations through both hardship and harmony – has not vanished. It waits, patient and enduring, held in the stories, the land, and the sacred spaces in between. But this wisdom will not wait forever. The time to remember is now.
The VA Network is not merely a platform; it is a call to action, a spark to reignite the fires of connection, reciprocity, and care. It is the digital campfire where stories rise like embers into the night, carrying the voices of the land and the wisdom of generations to those ready to listen. This is not passive work – it is active remembering, the deliberate reweaving of frayed threads that connect us to the great web of life. This is not about preserving the past – it is about equipping the present and the future with tools forged in ancient wisdom, tools designed to guide us back into balance.
Dig once said, ‘The fire doesn’t burn for you alone. It burns for the land, for the people, for your ancestors and descendants. It’s your job to keep the firing burning. If you let it go cold, you’ve broken something sacred. That’s what the world is doing – we have to start the fires again.e’
In this critical moment, we cannot let the fire fade. This work is not simply about remembering – it is about amplifying. It is about weaving ancient knowledge into the fabric of the choices we make today and planting it as seeds for those yet to come. The stories we share, the wisdom we carry, and the actions we take are not for us alone – they are for the future of the earth, for every being we share it with, and for the balance we are entrusted to protect.
This fire is not ours to own; it is ours to tend. Let it burn brightly – for the land, for the people, and for all those yet to walk this world.
A promise to keep the fire burning.
Stories are the breath of the land, the heartbeat of the people, and the sacred thread that ties us to the past while weaving a future rooted in respect and balance. Stories are medicine. They have the power to heal, to guide, and to transform. They don’t merely remind us of who we are; they invite us to become who we’re meant to be. 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 timeless. It’s not about archiving wisdom; it’s about bringing it to life. This is a 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 people 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 standpoint. 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.
This is not just about what we carry – it’s about how we carry it forward. All of us. And through this work, we ensure that the fire burns brightly, that the stories live on, and that the wisdom of the land continues to guide us into a future rooted in care, balance, and belonging.
Story is the most powerful tool we have – it is medicine, it is law, and it has the power to heal what has been broken.
I have spent years travelling the world, sitting with Elders, listening to knowledge keepers, and capturing the stories that hold the world together. The VA Network was born from those experiences – not as a business, but as a promise. A promise made by the fire, drawn in the sand, to hold and share stories in the right way, with respect, with care, with reciprocity. This work is about more than storytelling; it’s about restoring balance, amplifying the voices that have been silenced, and ensuring that the wisdom carried through generations is not just remembered, but lived.
For all those who came before us; & all those who will come after.
The VA Network is not for profit organization because the stories we carry are not commodities – they are gifts. They are the whispers of the land, the wisdom of the ancestors, and the threads that weave us back into connection with the world and each other. These stories do not belong to us; they belong to the communities that share them, to the land that holds them, and to the future generations who will one day hear them. To profit from them would be to sever the sacred flow of reciprocity, to break the balance that sustains the very wisdom we seek to honor.
We are not for profit because this work is not about ownership; it’s about stewardship. It is about creating a space where voices can rise, knowledge can flow, and connections can be rebuilt – not for the benefit of a few, but for the healing of all. When stories are shared, they ignite something far greater than financial gain – they spark transformation. They remind us of our responsibilities, teach us how to live in balance, and inspire real change.
To embrace the wisdom of napagi napagi – give give – is to understand that the most powerful ripples come not from taking, but from sharing.
Our mission never was and never will be driven by profit, but by purpose. We are a nonprofit because the work we do – amplifying voices, preserving cultural heritage, and fostering a global understanding of our interconnectedness – cannot and should not be measured by financial gain, nor should it be kept behind a paywall. Our purpose goes beyond the bottom line and is rooted in the belief that every story matters, every culture has value, and every community deserves the opportunity to thrive. To give, and to share freely.
‘The fire isn’t yours to own – it’s yours to tend. If you hold it for yourself, it dies. If you hold it for everyone, it burns forever.
This is the heart of what we do. We are here to tend the fire, to ensure that the stories live on – not as commodities, but as medicine for the world. Being not for profit is not a choice, it is the right way.
Who are we? The keepers of the fire.
We are the keepers of the stories, the tenders of the flame, the ones who sit at the edge of the fire, listening to the land, to the people, and to the wisdom carried in the spaces between. This digital campfire is a place where voices rise, stories live, and connections are restored and nurtured.
We are guided by ancient teachings, by the wisdom of elders and knowledge keepers who have shown us that stories are not just memories – they are medicine. Stories carry the power to heal, to guide, and to transform. They remind us of who we are, where we come from, and the role we play in the great web of life.
This is why we exist: to amplify Indigenous voices, preserve cultural knowledge, and create a space where the lessons of the past can guide us into a future of balance and harmony. We are not CEOs or executives, creative directors or chief financial officers; we are custodians, each tending to a different part of the fire we all share. We do not own the stories shared here – they belong to the land, the communities, the generations that held them safely, and the generations reaching out to grasp them.
Through the VA Network, we invite you to join us around this fire. To sit, to listen, to share, and to remember your place in the pattern of creation. Together we can carry these stories forward, honoring the wisdom they hold and weaving them into the fabric of a world that desperately needs them.
We are the firekeepers. The storytellers. The custodians of connection. And we are here to help you remember that you are, too.
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 – climate crisis, cultural loss, and the fraying of relationships between people and the land. These stories teach us how to re-become custodians: how to live in harmony with the earth, care for each other, and honor the wisdom of those who came before us.
