Indigenous or native ways of knowing, indigenous knowledge, indigenous science, traditional ecological knowledge are terms that have been making their way out of tribal colleges and into mainstream universities in recent years. According to Dr. Dawn Adrian Adams, Choctaw, founder of Tapestry Institute, these terms refer to two separate, yet intertwined endeavors, epistemology or types of knowledge and pedagogy, methods of teaching and learning. Indigenous ways of knowing (IWOK) often uses stories to engage learners and emphasizes the notion of community in the process. Strictly speaking, IWOK is focused on the process of learning rather than the outcome and emphasizes the holistic understanding of a topic or situation. Yet, this method of teaching has its critics. Critics of such knowledge systems claim that they conflict with the positivist heritage of science. However, those working within indigenous knowledge frameworks maintain that there are far more commonalities with Western science than differences. IWOK proponents claim that this learning style helps all students as they face an increasingly multicultural and complex world. The process of IWOK, Adams claims, changes the way one looks at the world and our relationship in it. The way an indigenous person looks at the world includes the full range of understanding and response; part of the knowing is how one responds. IWOK encourages students to develop inner authority and helps them to connect the dots and relate to other information.