Sacred Grove Traditions 385 14th Street Ste 582 Oakland, CA 94612
Our Story
Our story begins in San Francisco Bay Area where I was birthed raised by way of West Africa where my parents were born. I began conceiving Sacred Grove as teen from a desire to retain and relearn traditions lost to my generation growing up in the United States due to colonialism, racism, immigration, the legacy of slavery, migration, and western indoctrination. The concept of a collective of women of all ages working together to support other women and their families, upift the community , care for our children, pass on traditions to our youth and heal collectively was inspired by mother Albertha Tonia Hall an educator and the relationships she modeled with her biological and "chosen" sisters. She shared with me about the traditional Sande Society in Liberia and taught me the value of mentorship and receiving guidance from elders.
The name Sacred Grove was chosen in honor of my Liberian ancestry, inspired by the Sande Society for women. I come from at least 3 generations of midwives that can be traced. The Sano or Sande and Poro societies in Liberia are very important as ancient traditional institutions of learning in Liberia, Sierre Leone, and Guinea responsible for educating and preparing young people about the responsibilities of becoming an adult in their community. In countries where colonization and westernization have impacted indigenous languages, culture, and spiritual practices, the secret societies maintain ancestral wisdom and traditions and are still passing them on to young people. Girls are initiated into the Sano or Sande Society after several rites of passages in the Sacred Grove and Boys the Poro Society. The sacred grove refers to the consecrated area in the forest or "bush" where initiation takes place and the society meets. As, a midwife, I believe the Sacred Grove is also a reference to Womb, the dark and fertile, sacred and powerful place in a female body, the source of potential life, the seat of her creativity and power and the place where healing has to begin in order for our communities to be well.
- Sacred Grove Women of Color Wholistic Health Collective
I moved to Oakland in 1995 after college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and met and formed a sisterhood with other young women( Traci Enis, Alisha Mahnassi, Thailla Tisdale, Regina Calloway, Nancy Johnson, Maya and Tamu Mosley) who like me were passionate about African Dance and culture, uplifting our people, and we all shared a vision to empower ourselves, our families and other women and girls in our communities. We formed a collective of black and brown midwives, aspiring birth workers, dancers, wholistic & natural health enthusiasts and professional healers from alternative medicine modalities to exchange information and learn from one another about women's health, self-care practices and alternatives to western medicine. Out of necessity or due to trauma many of us turned to alternative, natural methods of healing ourselves and reclaimed medicine and lifestyle practices of our African and Indigenous ancestors to regain control of our bodies, our health, and our destiny.
- Oshun's Garden Wholistic Health Day Retreat for Black Women and Girls
Audre Lorde eloquently expressed, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” However many of our mothers and women in our community still regard self-care as a luxury, not as essential preventative medicine for survival. The vision of our Collective expanded to include community offerings called Oshun's Garden Wholistic Health Day Retreat for Black Women and Girls a donation( no-one turned away for lack of funds) event where we offered women and girls in our community opportunities to experience Spa-Quality pampering, Food and healing services in and Urban setting. The purpose of the Wholsitc Health Day Retreat, was to provide an Oasis where Black women and their Daughters could come to learn about wholistic healing practices, prioritize self-care , learn about midwifery, meet Black healers, practice self-care modalities on themselves and teach their daughters. Sacred Grove hosted 6 Oshun Garden's Healing Retreats including 1 for Black Males reaching over 200 women, girls and men in our community.
- Sacred Grove Traditions,LLC.
Today, Sacred Grove Traditions is the mother organization for Young Empowered Women Achieving Self (YEWAS) under the leadership of Founder/ Director/ CEO Asatu Musuanma Hall. Our mission is to improve health outcomes for Black women and girls by providing access to safe, culturally affirming, wholistic and natural methods of healing, reproductive health services, education and products drawing from the abundant wisdom available from ancestral practices throughout the African Diaspora, the midwifery model of care and to provide early prevention in form of family and community supported rites of passage(ROP) and mentorship for young people.
Learn more about Community Midwives and How to Support your local midwives
MIDWIFERY & WHOLISTIC REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE
- Midwifery Services ( Homebirth and
- Reproductive Health Consultations for Women and girls
- Sacred Moon Cycle Self-Care Workshop (First-period workshops for girls
Community: Giving Back To our Youth and Elders
- YOUNG EMPOWERED WOMEN ACHIEVING SELF(YEWAS) ROP. Cultural & health-based youth mentorship program for girls & teens
- KEHLLE Academy for Young Men
- Grandma's Hands Community Tribute Awards & Celebration
wellness
We offer Wholistic Services to support the Body, Mind and Spirit.
- Smai Tawi or Yoga from Ancient Kemet taught privately and through YogaLove Oakland
- Iridology Consultations
Support Young Black Girls and Teens
Your support and contributions will enable us to continue to provide community-based rites of passage and health programming for African American girls ages 7-18 years old.
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Coming Soon Sacred Grove Merchandise and Products
- Get your custom made Sacred GroveTees and Merchandise
- Sacred Womb Cycle Kits: First Moon cycle Self Care Box and MoonPause Selfcare Box
- Herbal formulas for womb health.