Please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ancestral-womb-wellness-gathering-2020-tickets-63180691148 to register!!
I am Adrienne, Owner of Mother Me Baby. Holistic Doula, Doula Mentor and Womb Healer. I’m from Kansas City, MO and currently reside in Phoenix, AZ.
I have two beautiful Goddesses, I love to travel, engage in yoga and live a plant-based lifestyle.
In my heart, I feel the desire to help each woman through her amazing journey into motherhood starting a preconception.
I specialize in Postpartum Care, African Womb Health, & Holistic Nutrition.
Women empowerment is where my heart’s passion resides.
FELICIA COCOTZIN RUIZ (Tewa/Xicana) is a curandera, indigenous plants activist, and natural foods chef whose work is deeply rooted in the healing properties of all earth medicines. Curanderas practice curanderismo, which is a holistic approach to wellness that has been used in the Americas for over 500 years. Curanderismo is a beautiful mixture of Mexican indigenous healing ways combined with European, African, and Native American modalities as a result of colonization. Curanderas are trained in various branches of healing, including massage therapy, spiritual healing, midwifery, and traditional herbalism, providing care and guidance for their community.
Felicia’s work has been featured in Spirituality & Health, The List, and Food & Wine among many other publications. She presents frequently around the country on Native American herbalism, holistic wellness, and Native American food sustainability at community events, universities, resorts, and museums, including the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian.
Felicia has been working with her Southwest community since 1995, where she earned the title of Curandera in ceremony given by her teachers and elders in 2018.
Politics and traditional medicine are what led Marinah to midwifery, and she has a firm commitment to both. Marinah has been an active board director, public speaker and mentor on national and local non-profit organizations, has worked in healthcare facilities for international NGOs, in free-standing birth centers in the U.S and Mexico, and has been the owner of a long standing homebirth practice in Arizona.
Currently, Marinah is founding director of Parteras de Maiz, focused on the issue of preservation of cultural midwifery and dignity for birthworkers worldwide, Organizational Director with Changing Woman Initiative and the Network Coordinator for the Good Birth for All Network, a maternal health leader network and podcast.
Marinah strives to uphold ancestral knowledge and always bridge traditional Mexican and Indigenous healing with all aspects of her work.
Anai-i Aranda has worked as a Human Resource professional and taught traditional dance and culture in San Diego County, San Luis Obispo County and Santa Cruz County. In 1969 Anai-i, along with various other artists, helped developed El Centro Cultural de La Raza in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Centro offered many classes in music, art, crafts, silk screening and dance. It was during this time that Anai-i learned traditional Danza Azteka from Maestro Florencio Yescas from Tacuba Mexico.
In 1975 Anai-i and her family moved to the Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County, where they helped to develop Redwind, an inter-tribal community of over 60 families who lived, worked, learned, and taught traditional life, culture and ceremonies. Anai-i also taught and directed an indigenous Danza Azteka dance group there.
In 1982 Anai-i and her family moved to Watsonville, California where she co-founded and directed White Hawk Indian council for Children (Ixtatutli) a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching indigenous traditional dance, song, arts and culture to the youth of the Pajaro Valley. in 1985 under the tutelage of Senora Cobb, established the first Xilonen, a rite of passage for young women. The first year they hosted approximately 20 dancers and 1 young Xilonen and after 36 continuous years of hosting this ceremony there were approximately 300 dancers and 22 young Xilonen's participating in a 3 day ceremony honoring young women in the community. Anai-i has been extremely blessed to be a mother of 4, grandmother of 14, great grandmother of 6, student, mentor and friend to MANY.
Dra. Crescenciana Rodriguez Nieves is a mother, grandmother, medical surgeon, spiritual leader and traditional midwife from Puebla Mexico. She currently resides in Tijuana Mexico and has many years of experience helping communities heal. She oversees the Etnobotánica Médica Y Medicinas Complementarias online blog and is a respected elder of the Cihuapactli Collective over the past 4 years.
Keya Kessler, Keya Chickala Pejuta na Anpo Wichapi Wi, Oglala Lakota Sioux, born on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota was raised on and off the reservation, from birth to 17 years old. At the age of five, her mother died from influenza leaving her to be raised by her full-blood Lakota Grandmother. Keya identifies as half caucasian and half Lakota. Raised in the traditional Sundance Way, she began attending Sundances at the age of 5 and continues to participate in traditional ceremonies.
Since the age of 20, she has been a leader, running Women's Sweat Lodges, teaching Lakota traditions, also a Women's Sundance Leader, and presently Grandmother of the Little Big Medicine Sundance. She continues to help women learn about traditions, teach songs, and help people find their hearts to heal themselves. Keya currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona. She has been happily married for 51 years, has three children and four grandchildren. Keya currently supports the leadership of the Cihuapacti Women's Collective as an advising elder.
We are excited to introduce this powerhouse of a soul. Chef Maria will be nourishing our bodies for this special gathering! —————————————-
Chef Maria Parra Cano is owner & mami-preneur of Sana Sana Foods and Indigena. Maria is a Xicana Indigena born in Phoenix and grew up in Barrio Garfield along with her siblings. Maria received her undergraduate degree from Arizona State University, her MBA from Grand Canyon University and a culinary arts degree from Scottsdale Culinary Institute - Le Cordon Bleu. Maria is a mother of 4 with her oldest being almost 7 and the youngest being 2. She is married to Brian Cano who is the artist & soul behind Ironwood Metal Works & Coatl. Maria is a mother, wife, sister, aunt, community organizer, danzante y mujer de ceremonia as part of the Calpoalli Nahuacalco and other ceremonial circles for the past 20 years.
Maria is the Executive Director of the Cihuapactli Collective, co-founder MEChA de ASU’s Xicana/o Graduation and board member for the Sagrado in South Phoenix. Maria provides postpartum support as a CoMadrita and rebozo workshops for use throughout the life cycle.
Sana Sana, is a plant-based movement aimed at healing our community from diseases like diabetes and hypertension through food. Maria was taught to cook at a very young age by her mother, Maria Cristina Parra Martinez and learned about indigenous cuisines from Central and Southern Mexico. Maria has been working with local community groups to expand their knowledge of ancestral/traditional foods by providing community cooking classes, demos and workshops.
Alida Quiroz-Montiel is an enrolled member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and resides at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. As the Health & Human Services Director at the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) her principal responsibility since 1990 has been to provide Tribal Leaders in Arizona, Nevada and Utah analysis on Federal and State health policies and budgetary issues that affect the Indian health care system.
She’s the Technical Advisor to the Phoenix Area Representative on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Tribal Technical Advisory Group and the chair of the Arizona Advisory Council on Indian Health Care (AACIHC). In January 2019, she began to manage the ITCA Good Health and Wellness in Indian Country (CDC) project and supervise all ITCA health and human services related projects.
Ms. Montiel an Associate’s Degree in Native American Studies from DQ University in Davis, California and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Arizona State University. Ceremonial responsibilities encompass Yaqui/Mayo life ways and as a teacher of traditional Aztec (Mexica) Dance, a designation
received in 1987 from her Elders.
Traci Faith Guw Thonalig Hughes Hamilton is an Arizona based Licensed Massage Therapist, womb worker, full spectrum birth worker, Nutritional Consultant, Herbalist, planter and traditional foods gatherer, single mom of two; Eric (7yo) and Tonalli (5yo) Bustamante. Traci is of Mississippi Choctaw, Mexica, Hiaki, adopted Tohono O’odham and European decent. A ceremonial wombyn who knows her journey of healing and helping others is her way of life, her power. Traci has been involved with the Chukson (Tucson) community in many healing aspects. The Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in Tucson was the beginning of her formal massage training in 1996. She spent many years perfecting her skillset with Miraval Life in Balance high end mindfulness destination spa, all the while advocating for natural and indigenous Pre/post-natal care, as well as, involvement with Chukson chapter ICBLC events and breastfeeding advocacy. Traci, later spent four years with Ha:san Preparatory and Leadership School teaching rainwater harvesting, traditional in ground gardening; planting with the moon and rain cycles, seed to plate style teaching and food prep. Her informal training is ongoing with family healers, ceremony, as well as the CEU state license requirements. Traci is a natural teacher and most at home teaching groups of clients, friends and family the high value of Self~Care with indigenous geographical appropriate foods and healing ways.
To Traci food sovereignty and womb sovereignty are the foundations of original healing ways. She believes the community has relied on the modern system far too long and has been abused and misdirected. The 24 years of professional service in healing ways has shown her many aspects to healing the community by helping relatives remember and understand their true value. Traci’s specialty is lifelong womb health and vitality, abdominal therapy, breast therapy and full spectrum birth work. Her passion for protecting the womb from invasive procedures ties in very closely with the old healing ways of her teachers and elders. The modern way of hysterectomy as a common way of practice goes against our coming of age teachings.
A mother and knowledgeable community member she stays strong in outreach and knowledge sharing. Traci continues to work on a sliding scale basis to make this important healing work accessible. Her commitment to her community is where her heart is. Her goals are to be a strong resource and support a community of healthy warrior wombxn who step forward to make that effort for wellness.