Healer, Cultural Practitioner, Advocate
“Be your most authentic self. We have been gifted by our ancestors with talent and knowledge; once we tap into that, it will manifest who you truly are.”
An advocate for traditional cultural methods to heal and treat various illnesses, Lucia Ellis stands at the forefront of health and wellness.
Lucia Ellis was born on the 7th of September 1955, in Dangriga Town, Stann Creek. Ms. Lucia’s primary school experience was distinct, having attended primary school in three districts of Belize, namely St. Francis Xavier Primary School in Corozal and Sacred Heart Primary School in both Cayo and Stann Creek Districts, respectively. Subsequently, she attended the St. Catherine’s Academy in Belize City, where she achieved her secondary school education. Venturing into the world of work, Ms. Lucia became a secondary school teacher. Through the practice and promotion of wellness as a teacher, she then took up the mantle of school councillor, promoting student wellness and drafting the first ‘School Councillors’ Manual’, which is used in all high schools in Belize.
Safeguarding and promoting Garifuna Ancestral Veneration and Traditional
Healing Practices:
Growing up in an extended family, Lucia was immersed in her Garifuna culture from a young age. She was raised with traditional values, and she carried them through into adulthood. Exposed to other cultures in her childhood, Lucia was fortunate to appreciate other ways of life and learning other languages such as Kriol and Spanish. These life experiences shaped her to be the versatile cultural advocate that she is today.
Lucia Ellis’s upbringing was surrounded by health and wellness growing up in Central Farm Village in Cayo. As a child, she learned various techniques, both Western and Traditional, to treat animals. Central Farm became the hub where Lucia would learn about agricultural science and the scientific research into treating illnesses such as leishmaniasis (Chiclero) and horse disease. When Mrs. Lucia retired as a school councilor she pivoted and focused on her mission to promote wellness.
Lucia solidified her belief that culture is a method of healing, thus incorporating her mandate of wellness and healing with that of culture. She has since pioneered many programs that foster traditional ways as solutions to social conditions. These include breastfeeding promotion, parenting empowerment, utilization of traditional medicine for primary health and validations of traditional birth attendants by the Belize National Health System, among other achievements in this field. Formally registering her organization, NUMASA Wellness Resource Center, she has provided training for enhancing human and community development focused on topics such as workplace wellness, traditional healing practices, cultural change management, intercultural communications and cultural competence. Through NUMASA she has opened her doors to any and everyone, willing to learn and understand different lifeways and healing techniques through her Ancestral Veneration Project.
Doing her fieldwork and stewarding cultural and holistic wellness, Lucia has dedicated her time and competency where possible to programs and activities as an advocate of traditional healing. She believes culture is a way of life and cannot be compartmentalized. She believes that culture must be celebrated and that we must make it a habit to utilize the gifts our ancestors give us as these gifts are evidence of our identity thus giving us the foundation to be resilient and to sustain ourselves. Lucia Ellis truly embodies what it means to be Garifuna.
