Ancestral healing in the CaribbeanCEFR B1
8 Dec 2025
Adapted from Guest Contributor, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0
Photo by Asso Myron, Unsplash
Ancestral healing asks societies to acknowledge historical wounds so present generations can live healthier lives. In the Caribbean, Gilbert Martina, an ancestral health educator and former healthcare executive, began this work after the ENNIA crisis in Curaçao and St. Maarten. He uses shamanic practices, nervous-system regulation and ancestral teachings to support personal and communal recovery.
Research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) shows that early trauma alters the body's stress systems and can affect the brain, immune system and long-term health. Chronic stress raises hormones such as cortisol and can cause inflammation linked to heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Neuroscience describes pathways that connect emotional pain with physical symptoms.
Regional initiatives respond to historical and current needs. The Caribbean Reparations Commission has encouraged discussion about accountability and emotional repair. Festivals like Bocas Lit Fest and the Calabash International Literary Festival reclaim storytelling, and community projects in Curaçao use drumming, dance and ritual. Advocates say healing must combine scientific knowledge with cultural care, respectful mental health services and spaces for elders to share wisdom.
Difficult words
- ancestral — connected to earlier generations in a family
- acknowledge — to accept or recognise a fact or truth
- trauma — a deep emotional injury from a bad experience
- cortisol — a hormone the body makes during stress
- inflammation — the body's reaction that causes swelling and pain
- reparation — the act of making amends for past wrongsReparations
- reclaim — to take back or make something yours again
- ritual — a set of actions done for cultural or religious reasons
- advocate — a person who supports and speaks up for othersAdvocates
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think combining scientific knowledge with cultural care would help people in your community? Why or why not?
- Can you name local traditions, like drumming or dance, that help people recover from hard times? How do they help?
- How could elders sharing stories and wisdom support emotional repair in families or communities?
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