Ancestral Bone Mapping & Healing: Reweaving the Soul Through Bone, Beauty, and Ancestral Nourishment with Iya Affo
Through rhythms of beauty, grief, and intergenerational wisdom, this presentation and conversation explored healing through the languages of somatic ritual, trauma-informed neurobiology, and ancestral remembering.
Iya Affo is a Culturalist and Historical Trauma consultant. She earned Western certification as a Trauma Specialist and is a descendant of a long line of traditional healers from Bénin, West Africa. Iya serves as an Executive Board Member for the Arizona ACEs Consortium, is an Adjunct Faculty member at the Arizona Trauma Institute, and is the founder of Heal Historical Trauma Culture & Indigenous Wellness Academy. She has visited more than 30 countries; living in Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Taoist, Native American, and Yoruba communities, embracing aspects from each culture for personal evolution. She strives to transcend tolerance through cultivating love and respect in hopes of facilitating the decolonization and subsequent healing of indigenous people from all over the world. Iya advocates for the harmonization of Traditional Medicine and Western Medicine for true holistic healing.
ALTÆR is a sacred invitation into ancestral medicine, where the body is honored as shrine, and the bones are read as living scrolls. Culturalist and Historical Trauma Consultant Iya Affo brings her deep-rooted knowledge and ceremonial practice to this space. As a featured presence in The Eternal Song film and founder of the Heal Historical Trauma Culture & Indigenous Wellness Academy, Iya carries experience across many Indigenous communities and advocates for the harmonization of Traditional and Western medicine as a path to collective wholeness.
ALTÆR: The Bones Remember – Eight week course with Iya Affo
Topics:
00:00 Introduction and Greetings
00:42 Introducing Iya Affo
01:44 Acknowledging Ancestral Lands and Ancestors
04:25 The Importance of Ancestral Healing
09:38 Understanding Coherence and Healing Practices
18:06 Exploring Bone Mapping
28:11 Personal Story: Ancestral Memory and Birth
32:45 A Difficult Labor and Ancestral Memory
34:33 The Impact of Historical Trauma on Black Women
38:47 Bone Mapping and Spiritual Genetics
43:57 Roles of Men and Women in Ancestral Healing
49:53 Healing Practices and Rituals
57:31 Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with Western Therapy
01:03:20 Closing Reflections and Future Courses
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