Bernadette Rebienot

Rebienot was born in Libreville on 1 January 1934. {{Cn|date=December 2024}}

Although having received a Catholic education, Rebienot was confronted with traditional African medicine at a very young age. As a teenager, she suffered from incurable pain in her feet. She found no effective solution to help her ailments, and turned to traditional medicine through which she received relief.{{Cite web |title=Grandmother Bernadette Rebienot / Omyene, Gabun, Afrika |url=https://www.earth-oasis.de/13-grandmothers/6154-2/grandmother-bernadette-rebienot-omyene-gabunafrika/ |website=Earth Oasis}}{{Cite book |last=Schaefer |first=Carol |url=https://archive.org/details/grandmotherscoun0000scha/mode/2up?q=carol+schaefer+grandmothers+counsel |title=Grandmothers counsel the world : women elders offer their vision for our planet |date=2006 |publisher=Boston : Trumpeter |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-59030-293-4 |pages=21–25 |chapter=Bernadette Rebienot}} She was initiated into the traditional Ndjembè rite in July 1948 at the age of 14.{{Cite book |last=Bellebeuno |first=Holly |url=https://archive.org/details/womenhealersofwo0000bell/page/196/mode/2up?q=%22Bernadette+Rebienot%22 |title=Women healers of the world : the traditions, history, and geography of herbal medicine |date=2014 |publisher=New York : Skyhorse Pub. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-62914-589-1 |pages=196–204}} In July 1958, she ascended to the supreme grade of Ngwèvilo (priestess).{{Cite news |date=22 July 2015 |title=Conclave à Libreville du Conseil Internationale des 13 grands-mères autochtones. |language=fr |work=Gabon Review |url=https://www.gabonreview.com/conclave-a-libreville-du-conseil-international-des-13-grand-meres-autochtones/}}

She was later introduced to the Bwiti Dissumba rite with iboga and then to Abanji, which opened the doors to her career as a traditional healer on a national and international scale.{{Cite news |date=16 June 2002 |title="Une guérisseuse gabonaise chez les chamans de l'Amazonie" |language=fr |pages=4 |work=L'Union |url=https://lunion-archives.org/web.11/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=9798&Itemid=1}} She worked for a better knowledge of the use of iboga{{Cite news |last=Rahmani |first=Sabah |date=29 November 2012 |title=Une guérisseuse gabonaise chez les chamans de l'Amazonie |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sciences/article/2012/11/29/une-racine-aux-pouvoirs-hallucinants_1798071_1650684.html |work=Le Monde |language=fr}} and for an enhancement of the place of women in society.{{Cite news |last=Tsoumba |first=Anita J. |date=21 May 2017 |title=La mère, au cœur de la transmission des savoirs. |url=https://lunion-archives.org/web.11/dmdocuments/N12428-20-21-05-2017-006.pdf |work=L'Union |language=fr}}

She was the president and founder of the association Village Oyenano, located in Libreville and which works for the development of traditional medicine and the preservation of cultural heritage.

She started as president of the Union of Traditional Medicine Practitioners from Gabon in 1994.{{Cite web |title=GRANDMOTHER BERNADETTE REBIENOT |url=https://menla.org/teachers/grandmother-bernadette-rebienot/ |website=menla.org}}

Rebienot and Maria Alice Campos Freire met Jyoti, a descendent of the Cherokee Nation, and encouraged Jyoti to gather indigenous grandmothers, which she did starting with their first meeting in 2004 at the Dhalai Lama's retreat.{{Cite book |last=Gianturco |first=Paola |url=https://archive.org/details/grandmotherpower0000gian/page/174/mode/2up?q=%22Bernadette+Rebienot%22 |title=Grandmother power : a global phenomenon |date=2012 |publisher=Brooklyn, NY : PowerHouse Books |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-57687-611-4 |pages=173-174}}{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/learningendogeno0000unse/mode/2up?q=%22Bernadette+Rebienot%22 |title=Learning endogenous development : building on bio-cultural diversity |date=2007 |publisher=Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, UK : Practical Action Publishing |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-85339-664-9 |pages=71-73}} This gathering became known as the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers established in 2004. The last meeting was held at Village Oyenano, and resulted in the production of a film entitled Le Dernier Conseil by Jean-Claude Cheyssial.{{Cite news |date= |title=CINÉMA : LE "DERNIER CONSEIL" POUR L'ÉTERNITÉ |language=fr |work=L'Union |url=https://www.union.sonapresse.com/gabon-culture-societe/cinema-le-dernier-conseil-pour-leternite-13258}}

Rebienot died on January 21, 2021.{{Cite news |date=2 January 2022 |title=NOUVEL AN: CEUX QUI NOUS ONT QUITTES |url=https://www.union.sonapresse.com/gabon-politique/nouvel-ceux-qui-nous-ont-quittes-24368 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123004122/https://www.union.sonapresse.com/gabon-politique/nouvel-ceux-qui-nous-ont-quittes-24368 |archive-date=January 23, 2022 |work=L'Union |language=fr}} She was the mother of 10 biological children.

File:Wikipedia Bernadette 2014 South Dakota.jpg

File:Bernadette avec le dalai lama.jpg

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shskj76cdEM Secrets de femmes] de Jean-Claude Cheyssial (1999){{Cite web |date=1999 |title=Secrets de femmes |url=http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_fiche_film/6259_1 |website=www.film-documentaire.fr |language=fr}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpHogy48oHs L'esprit de l'Ayahuasca] de Jean-Claude Cheyssial (2002){{Cite web |title=L'esprit de l'Ayahuasca |url=http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_fiche_film/11552_1 |website=www.film-documentaire.fr |language=fr}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbCXzqkKdwA&t=21s La Guérisseuse de la forêt] de Jean-Claude Cheyssial (2005){{Cite web |date=2005 |title=La guérisseuse de la forêt |url=http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_fiche_film/22354_1 |website=www.film-documentaire.fr |language=fr}}
• [https://vimeo.com/79285712 For the next 7^th Generations] de Bruce Hart et Carol Hart (2009){{Cite web |date=2010 |title=Global grandmothers |url=https://www.pressrepublican.com/news/out_and__about/global-grandmothers/article_b8fcc561-759c-58fd-af66-33ae05a93cc3.html |website=Press-Republican}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nCfiSwWRs0&t=9s Le Dernier Conseil] de Jean-Claude Cheyssial (2016){{Cite web |date=2016 |title=Le Dernier Conseil |url=http://www.film-documentaire.fr/4DACTION/w_fiche_film/48890_1 |website=www.film-documentaire.fr |language=fr}}

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• {{YouTube|id=Z8mrqpOE0Pw|title=Origins of the 13 Grandmothers Council - by Jyoti}}

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Category:1934 births

Category:2021 deaths