**ɬaxayam- Greetings and Welcome**

My name is Stephanie. I'm the owner of Kalapuya Weaving and Consulting. Following my personal life and educational career experiences, I created a small business where I teach basket weaving classes to private and public venues, work with agencies both state and federal, museums and Tribal museums with cultural resource management, belongings conservation, produce museum quality basketry replicas, provide cultural education, presentations and continue the traditions of my Grandmothers and family before me. My goal is to help educate and pass on my knowledge to others.

My Mission

We focus on our traditional cultural lifeways, traditional ecological knowledge, indigenous ways of knowing, cultural resource management and indigenous museum collections, interpretation and management practices. We strive in continuing the lifeways of our ancestors through teaching and educating others about our way of life; and continuing to be good stewards of the land.

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Attend a class

Stephanie teaches weaving classes to all age groups at schools, organizations and private events.

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Book a consultation

Kalapuya Weaving offers consulting for museums, state and federal agencies, historical institutes, research partnerships and more.

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Our Impact

Teaching traditional techniques

Stephanie teaches multiple styles and techniques of basket weaving, from plain twining, plaiting and twill. Different Tribal regions wove in different styles from each other, making them identifiable.

10,000 people taught

Stephanie has worked with students of all ages from preschool children to Elders. Stephanie has been teaching traditional weaving for over 20 years, and has been consulting with museums and agencies for over 10 years.

Carrying on traditions of our Elders

Our way of life is to always think of the future, making sure we take care of the land, water, plants and animals for the next seven generations. As a Native woman I come from strong culture keepers, leaders and healers. It is my job to continue these ways of life, our traditions, our culture and to teach our future leaders and culture keepers.

My Ancestors chose me.

About Stephanie

Santiam and Yoncalla Kalapuya, Takelma Rogue River, Cow Creek Umpqua, Chinook and Metis. She grew up in the traditional homelands of her Mother’s people, the Kalapuya, and was raised and worked on her family’s farm. Growing up on the land it grew a deeper connection to her ancestral ties to this land. She is a 7th generation basketweaver and an Oregon Culture Keeper.

Stephanie’s traditional training includes University of Oregon for her BA and MA:IS in Anthropology, Cultural Museums and Folklore, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian, Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, Elders, Master Weavers and Ethnobotanists, the plants and the land.

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Our history

Basket weaving has been passed down in our family for 7 generations. My great great great Grandma Martha Jane Sands (Takelma Rogue River; 2nd from right in photograph). She was forcibly marched from her homelands in Southern Oregon along the Rogue River, at the age of 14, to her new home on the Grand Ronde Reservation in Northwestern Oregon located in the foothills of the Coast Range. She passed this cultural tradition on to her daughter Hattie Sands Hudson. These women continued to weave Hazel Stick Baskets and sold them throughout the area to neighbors, friends, Native American basket collectors, tourism and settlers.