Kachinas Shabazz Kutenai

January 14, 1935 - January 1, 2010 Kachinas S. Kutenai passed away peacefully at dawn January 1, 2010 at the age of 74 near her children in Los Angeles, Calif. Most recently a resident of Palm Springs, our cherished mother, sister, teacher and friend leaves behind children Norman and Jennifer Auther. She is also survived by her siblings, Ted White, Jerry Soriano, Sandra Ramirez and Emma Kelley; sister-in-law, Earline Auther; and 15 nieces, nephews and their children. Kutenai attended San Jose High school in California before graduating with an R.N. from Providence nursing school. In 1951, she and her then-fiancé, Norman V. Auther of Berkeley, joined the U.S. Army. Kutenai served as a Lieutenant Nurse during the Korean War. She married Norman Auther in 1959. She worked as a registered nurse for 46 years in the San Francisco Bay area and Reno, Nevada giving in her personal life and helping anyone she could with anything they needed. She worked tirelessly during the 1970s as a drug counselor and wrote numerous grants earmarked to aid primarily Vietnam Vets. Returning to her Apache roots, she studied and mastered Native American history and would grow to become recognized as an expert on alternative healing methods in both the USA and in Europe. She authored several books, including poems in "The Book of Love," and decades later she published "American Indian Healing" and "Medicine Woman Speaks." Kutenai later moved to Palm Springs, where she founded the Sacred Rainbow Circle Foundation and American Indian Healing Temple. Her passing followed a long illness, which she faced without fear and a healthy sense of humor. She now joins her beloved mother, Ruth Mae White, a reunion she always said she looked forward to most. Recently Kutenai wrote: "Throughout all life, choices must be thoughtfully made. To go, to stay, to speak to pray, to step back observe oneself and know that one strong move establishes who we are as human beings, reliably are!" A Private Memorial is pending at Mt. Tamalpais State Park in Marin County, California. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Los Angeles Mission, 303 East 5th Street. Los Angeles, Calif. 90013.