Celebrating Elder Kathy Sanchez!

When you put it in prayer, things happen.
– Elder Kathy Sanchez 

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During the month of September, we are celebrating the birthday of one of our beloveds, Elder Kathy Sanchez!

Elder Kathy (Wan Povi), from San Ildefonso Pueblo, is a founding member of Tewa Women United, former executive director of the organization, and now serves as elder and program manager for our Environmental Health and Justice Program. She is also a member of TWU’s SaYain / Circle of Grandmothers.

Elder Kathy has dedicated her life to working on culture, the environment, and social change.

Tewa Women United’s founding in 1989 — nearly 30 years ago — was very much the collective effort of a number of powerful Native women. At the same time, TWU has been deeply informed and inspired by Wan Povi’s heart and vision, and would not be the organization it is today without her.

Over the years you’ve probably seen Elder Kathy offering her presence at countless gatherings, rallies, and convocations. She’s organized with rural and indigenous women at the UN Committee on the Status of Women, testified at New Mexico public hearings on Los Alamos National Lab’s devastating impact on health and environment, and so much more.

Elder Kathy is also a gifted and innovative teacher. She developed the Two Butterfly Model (or two-world harmony model) and has shared it with Indigenous and non-indigenous peoples and organizations since the early 1980s. According to her daughter, Corrine,

The Butterfly Model is based on the image of the butterfly which to Tewa people signifies transformation, mobility, vulnerability, and power to impact the multi-verse because of and despite its delicacy…. The model continues to serve as the foundational philosophical model for TWU because it discusses our wholeness of being, using identity, language, and spirituality as a strength that leads to our mobility (fluidity) in changing and challenging times.

Two more of Elder Kathy’s innovative contributions to our work are Trauma Rocks, an experiential process to identify and heal generational trauma, and the Gathering for Mother Earth. This annual event, started by Elder Kathy in 1996, is now organized by a coalition of organizations (including TWU) as a celebration of cultural ways to share love and gratitude for Mother Earth. The gathering offers the community an opportunity to come together for eco-systemic revival and revolution.

September 1 is Elder Kathy’s 68^th birthday.  A donation to TWU is a wonderful way to honor her many gifts to all of us.

By the end of September, we hope to light up at least 68 candles, with one candle representing each donor. Please light a candle to wish Elder Kathy the happiest of birthdays and support the sustainable future of Tewa Women United. You can make a donation here:

Thanks to our partners at First Nations Development Institute, 100% of your donation goes directly to TWU with no fees taken out.

Un bi a’gindi, Go’odah di kagin undi
with respectfulness, thank you for helping us.

Many blessings for good health, wellness for Mother Earth and all relations.