Katherine Smith Memorial Fund

What is the Katherine Smith Memorial Fund?

The Katherine Smith Memorial Fund was created to honor the life work of Dine elder, Katherine Smith. This fund provides financial and logistical assistance to indigenous Diné people who want to further their education in holistic medicine.

We provide scholarship funds for individuals to use at schools or programs of their choice and to help with logistical support to help make that transition possible. We are currently working towards building contacts and agreements with schools who will provide full and partial scholarships.

This fund was influenced by the work of a health clinic working on the Diné reservation to support those people resisting a relocation that was attempting to make way for Peabody Coal Mine. This clinic had been running since 1990 and was transformed into the Stone Cabin Collective in 2009 which now leads Elder Wellness Week.

Elder wellness week happens biannually on Dinétah (The Navajo Reservation) and travels around to different chapter houses offering free holistic health services. This clinic prioritizes space for elders, but all in the community are welcome to partake. Services include foot baths, acupuncture, body work, and herbal consultations. During each herbal consultation, herbalist also supply clients with a 3 to 6 month supply of herbs and supplements.

Overheard in the many years the clinic has been operating, there is a desire for greater accessibility of these healing modalities in the community, to offer more resilience to the Diné people. This is another step in that process.

** The Katherine Smith Memorial Fund - under the umbrella of Root and Branch Inc 501(c)3 - collects monetary donations from individuals or organizations in order to subsidize the tuition and transportation costs for Indigenous people pursuing education in herbal medicine. Donations are collected on a monthly or one-time basis.