Our Founder
Gabrielle Felder Ifademilade Omotola Oosafunmilayo (she/they) is an educator, doula in-training, and an Aborisa, an Orisa devotee in the Yorùbá tradition of Isese Ifa from Southwest Nigeria. During her studies of traditional medicine and herbalism, Gabrielle quickly realized the racial disparities within the wellness industry and the lack of acknowledgment of the contributions Black and indigenous communities made to modern herbalism. In 2021, Gabrielle started Àìkú with the goal of connecting practices of traditional herbalism from around the world through the perspective of the African diaspora.
Our Origins
Àìkú, the Yorùbá word for longevity/immortality, is one of the five core blessings in Ìsèse Ifá. Àìkú’s ingredients and traditional techniques are designed to showcase the longevity of Black/African traditional practices and the traditional practices of people of color around the world.
When we heal ourselves, we heal the Earth.
The only way to build a sustainable future is by learning from the thousands of years of combined wisdom of Black/African and indigenous communities around the world. Through her studies, Gabrielle was able to see the similarities between traditional healing practices from different BIPOC communities. Àìkú brings together the wisdom of indigenous communities around the world through the perspective of the African Diaspora.
All of Àìkú’s products are handmade in small batches in Gabrielle’s home using plant-based and organic ingredients. Determined to honor her Egun (ancestors), heal her relationship to the Earth, and preserve traditional West African and Black American practices, Gabrielle hopes Àìkú will serve as an affirming healing space for anyone in need.
Images from A Growing Culture, Black Trans Travel Fund, and Black Bloom
Community is key.
At Àìkú we’ve selected three organizations (one local and two international) that give back directly to Black and Indigenous communities. Àìkú donates 5% of our profits to Black Bloom Los Angeles, A Growing Culture, and Black Trans Travel Fund.
Black Bloom is a Black-led co-op that provides “supplies, education and guidance free of charge for local Black folks to learn to grow, harvest and process their own [cannabis] flowers outdoors at their own homes”. Black Bloom centers Black farmers in their co-op, bringing “a new experience with marijuana and build sustainable, autonomous practices for a future full of Black farmers”.
A Growing Culture advances “a culture of farmer autonomy and agroecological innovation” by “reframing the way the world views farmers, facilitating collective learning and catalyzing innovation through farmer-to-farmer exchange, and supporting on-the-ground efforts for farmer-led research and documentation”.
Black Trans Travel Fund “is a grassroots, Black Trans led Collective, providing Black transgender women with financial and material resources needed to remove barriers to self-determining and accessing safer travel options”. Black Trans Travel Fund’s goal is to create a world free of harassment for Black trans women “by offsetting the economic impact of travel and travel related materials, and encouraging allies to commit long-term to leveraging their resources in a multitude of ways to improve the lives of Black trans women”.
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