The Ondalinda Foundation is under the umbrella of the Many Hats Institute a registered 501C-3 nonprofit organization (tax deductible for U.S. citizens). The Ondalinda Foundation assists indigenous communities throughout Mexico in preserving their cultural heritage and cultivating a new generation of interdisciplinary artists. Donations go directly to the Huichol (Wixicuta), Purépecha, and other indigenous tribes from Mexico - greatly enabling them to invest in basic infrastructure and resources, to educate and raise awareness for their cause, and to achieve sustainability on a long-term basis.
We do this because we believe in the importance of art, community, heritage, sustainability, ritual, and connectivity to inspire humankind and reestablish systems that unite us, rather than separate us. As we are learning every day, the current “win-win” model of commerce that has shaped our world is not a sustainable business practice; by focusing only on the exchange of “buy and sell”, we neglect a third exchange - giving back - which is in fact the very element that brings us together and makes the world a more peaceful and harmonious place for us all to live.
The Ondalinda Foundation was formed in response to a need for this third exchange, and to a need for reconnection to the values that sustain us. So much of the world’s suffering is caused by separation; we are separated from our families, from our roots, from our heritage, even from the food systems that sustain us. In the name of “progress”, we have placed convenience, speed and efficiency before the very things we need most: compassion, creativity, and connection to each other.
Through our work with the indigenous groups of Mexico, we have witnessed firsthand their commitment to these values, which they have honored and upheld for thousands of years. This commitment is reflected in the art they create, in all its various forms. It is our hope that by supporting their endeavors, we may carry their wisdom and the ethos of their culture to the world at large.
