Est. Nevada City, California
Office of the
Three Sisters
A polycropping of three organizations which grow together for mutual support and allyship.
La Oficina de las Tres Hermanas
Nevada City, now
A community office in Nevada City
See what is happening, ask a question, or come meet us. You do not need to know anyone or any of our words first.
Who we are
Three sister organizations that grow side by side, the way corn, beans and squash grow together: CoALA (learning and ethical livelihoods), HWSY (Indigenous ways of knowing) and CDRR (decolonial reparations research).
About the OfficeWhat we do
We gather in Nevada City and on Zoom in six-day cycles of learning and ceremony. We help each other with community-conscious work, and we trade help through Ayni (sacred reciprocity) instead of tuition.
Our programsWhat we believe
Relationships come before technology. Communities have the right to grow the learning of their own people. Indigenous knowledge stays with the peoples who carry it, and we share what people tell us only with their consent.
Start here
Upcoming gatherings
Each cycle opens and closes with a gathering. Everyone is welcome.
Opening (Sky Day) — Cycle 8 Integrity
In person · 420 Providence Mine, Nevada City, CA
Closing (Earth Day) — Cycle 8 Integrity
In person · 420 Providence Mine, Nevada City, CA
Opening (Sky Day) — Cycle 8 Integrity
Online · On Zoom
Closing (Earth Day) — Cycle 8 Integrity
Online · On Zoom
Ask a question
Curious about a gathering, a program, or how to take part? A steward reads every question and writes back.
Around Nevada City
The Office points to groups and programs that already serve this community, rather than duplicating them.
Start here
New to the Office? There’s no rush, and you don’t need to know the words yet. Begin in relationship with the short version of who we are, the language you’ll meet, and a few gentle ways to take part.
Start hereAlive now
Posted by Office stewards on the Updates page.
AI, right relationship, and data sovereignty
What the Office is learning about consent, accountability, and community authority as AI becomes part of everyday coordination.
Read the updateFrom BriarPatch to Shasta: a Minga in motion
Three supporters helped send Alana and Jiah to Shasta. Meet the Minga and the work our community is carrying forward.
Read the update
Two ways the Office is serving now
Ceremony
Medicine Wheel
The Medicine Wheel is the shared rhythm the whole community moves through — a 6-day cycle of learning and ceremony that opens on Sky Day and closes on Earth Day.
Participants are invited to spend intentional time with the Earth and gather in community to reflect and support one another.
Sacred reciprocity
The Ayni Altar
Anyone is welcome to see, understand, and participate in the community Ayni Altar — and to post offerings to members, or to be stewarded by the Office.
Learn in relationship
Many of the words you’ll meet here come from Kichwa, an Indigenous Andean language. You don’t need to memorize them — they’ll grow familiar as you go.
Words you’ll meet, at Start HereCommunity life and shared resources
Directory
Students, researchers, and community learners in the Office of the Three Sisters programs.
Voices
Artists, filmmakers, musicians, and visionaries shaping indigenous futures through creative practice.
Resources
Materials, guides, and references from the Office of the Three Sisters.
Community Resources
External resources the Office points to rather than duplicates — pre-existing networks and programs already serving this community.
What is Polycropping?
Polycropping is an Indigenous regenerative agriculture practice where complementary plants are grown together to create strategic allyship. This method models a thriving, interconnected ecosystem in which each plant contributes to the wellbeing of the others. The growing of corn, green beans, and squash together — called the Three Sisters — is one well-known example.
The Three Sisters
Three organizations, one ecosystem
Eldest Sister
Cooperative Authentic Learning Association
CoALA
Lifelong learning for ethical livelihoods. Supporting community-conscious businesses, financial independence, shared prosperity, and resilient futures rooted in cooperation.
Middle Sister
Hampina Wasi Sacha Yachay
House of Forest Wisdom
A living sanctuary for Indigenous ways of knowing and spiritual research, grounding urban communities in ancestral wisdom carried by over 4,000 living Indigenous languages.
Youngest Sister
Center for Decolonial Reparatory Research
CDRR
Advancing decolonial reparations research to restore relational integrity — pathways for honest reckoning, ethical responsibility, and repair beyond land acknowledgement.
Our Programs
Rooted in sacred reciprocity, cyclical learning, and Earth stewardship.
“Communities have the sovereignty to cultivate the higher learning of their own people.”
— CoALA founding principle
Stay Connected
Community updates are posted by Office stewards, in the open. Introduce yourself to begin in relationship.