What does Lakou Tanama mean?

Lakou Tanama is a strategy that focuses on culturally centered, community-based
​mental health and healing for Haitian people.​

Significance of the Name “Lakou Tanama”

The term "Lakou Tanama" holds profound historical and energetic resonance, evoking the relationship between African traditions and the Taino, Haiti’s Indigenous First Peoples. The Lakou emerged in the late 19th century among rural Haitian people in opposition to the oppressive capitalist conditions imposed by European colonists. The Lakou is a communal space rooted in a healthy relationship with the land, where an extended sense of family live together in a courtyard or “Yahd” sharing practices, resources and challenges as a collective. 
The word “Tanama” means butterfly in Taino, Arawak language, a powerful symbol of metamorphosis, rebirth and freedom which carries the imprint of Ayiti Bohio's First Peoples and their harmonious connection to Spirit and Earth-honoring practices. Naming these circles "Lakou Tanama" intentionally activates ancestral memory, spiritual strength, and cultural resilience, reminding participants of their legacy as warriors, healers, and community builders.

Theoretical Framework

Lakou Tanama Circles integrate Dr. Linda James Myers’ Optimal Conceptual Theory (OCT),  which emphasizes achieving psychological health through alignment with optimal worldviews, characterized by interconnectedness, cultural self-knowledge, community coherence, and  collective agency. OCT views psychological symptoms as arising from the interaction between  an individual’s worldview and their environment, promoting healing through cultural  reclamation and personal and collective empowerment. 

Roles

1. Circle Facilitator: Holds space for participants, guiding them through the healing process and supporting through reaffirming and optimal holistic education, tools and resources.
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2. Griot /Scroll Keeper- Co- Facilitator:  While respecting the confidentiality of the participants, the Griot preserves the story of the circle, archives collective needs, and records the central message of attendees for community reflection and exaltation. Supports the Circle Facilitator as needed.
3. Participants: People who are open to being in a collective space ( it can also be virtual)  where they honor their shared humanity by listening and speaking from their heart while creating room for others to do the same. Participation is an invitation, not an obligation.  

Healing Process

​Participants engage in culturally resonant practices designed to:
1. Connect them to their spiritual practice, faith, belief system or "highest self".
2. Foster emotional safety, allowing participants to process trauma through storytelling and community sharing. 
3. Address and unlearn internalized oppression and harmful worldviews resulting from intergenerational trauma. 
4. Promote collective resilience and agency by reaffirming cultural pride and facilitating connections that shape local justice and healing processes. 

Structure and Components

Core Elements of Lakou Tanama Circles
Lakou Tanama Circles utilize structured sessions that incorporate:
  • Group narrative-sharing and collective visioning.
  • Emotion regulation and stress management techniques grounded in Haitian cultural traditions.
  • Group-based healing activities 
  • Rituals, such as prayer, drumming, dance, prayer groups, healing circles and herbal practices.
  • Integration of historical education and re-education focusing on Haitian ancestral knowledge and African-Indigenous cosmologies. 
  • Ancestral Honoring: Reconnecting participants with Taíno and African ancestral philosophies and healing practices. 
  • Cultural Reclamation: Utilizing Haitian cultural icons, philosophies, and narratives to dismantle internalized oppression and victimhood. 
  • Holistic Practices: Employing communal rituals, prayer, music, and art to create holistic healing experiences. 
  • Optimal Worldview Alignment: Facilitating transitions from sub-optimal, fragmented worldviews to optimal, cohesive worldviews through culturally relevant practices. 

Skills and Tools Taught

  • Culturally relevant emotion regulation skills.
  • Techniques for reframing harmful internal narratives.
  • Storytelling practices for collective healing.
  • Methods of leveraging cultural wisdom for social justice and community resilience. 

Values Orientation

Lakou Tanama Circles center Haitian ancestral, African and Indigenous wisdom to cultivate resilience, dignity, and collective agency. They emphasize reclaiming historical narratives of brilliance and resistance, empowering participants to redefine their identities positively and proactively. 

Training Model for Lakou Tanama Circle Facilitators

​Phase One: Experiential Foundation
Trainees attend and actively participate in a full Lakou Tanama Circle to experience the emotional, cultural, and communal rhythm of the practice firsthand.
 
Phase Two: Didactic Training
Two-hour training covering:
  • Technological skills (platforms, logistics, facilitation tech tools)
  • Primer on African-Centered, Indigenous, and related theories (overview of key thinkers, consciousness, communal models of healing)
  • Introduction to Healing Circle Techniques and Tools (e.g., communal storytelling, libation, prayer, rituals of affirmation, proverbs, etc.)
 
Phase Three: Supervised Circle
Create healing materials, conduct a circle under direct supervision, and receive structured feedback from a trainer.