About Us

We are about the Land, and about the Knowledge that comes from the Land. Such Knowledge is usually called Indigenous Knowledge, or IK, and it encompasses far more different kinds of information than most people realize. More important, it comes to human beings in a variety of ways whose scope, impact, processing, and application have been largely forgotten by Western culture. This means we explore a much wider array of Knowledge content than you might expect, and that we do it using many different ways of knowing, learning about, and responding to the natural world . . . which is, after all, the Land.

Tapestry’s diverse community brings a wealth of expertise to programs that nurture and sustain the vital relationship between all living things and Indigenous Knowledge. Our small staff leverages resources by collaborating with a pool of highly creative Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars, teachers, artists, Elders, horsepeople, storytellers, and traditional healers of all kinds.

Please use the links below to explore the partnerships that fuel Tapestry’s work, the meaning of our name, a summary of our mission, and our commitment to your privacy on this website.

Our Name, and why that rug is on the header;
Dawn Hill Adams (Choctaw), Tapestry’s Founder and Co-President;
Jo Belasco, Tapestry Co-President and an Indigenist after more than 20 years of doing this work;
Land Partner, northwest Nebraska’s Pine Ridge;
Board of Directors, the people who keep things moving forward with their time, energy, and dedication;
Previous Board Members who helped us get through the first 20 years;
Organizational Partners and Supporters we wouldn’t have made it without;
Grants and Honors people often want to know about;
Mission Statement in case you want to see the formal language;
Privacy Policy because these days you really need to know this.
Terms of Use, because the law requires us to provide this information.

— Photos on this page are all © Tapestry Institute, All Rights Reserved, on different dates. Top photo © 2006; second, fourth, and sixth photos © 2019; third and fifth photos © 2002. Third and fifth photos were taken at the Tapestry conference “Stories from the Circle: Science and Native Wisdom”. All others are from in or near the Pine Ridge area of northwestern Nebraska. —