Foundational Framework
Three Branches of the Same Tree
Conceived not as separate disciplines, but as an unbroken continuum of life, spiritual lineage, and creative form.
Branch I: The Spiritual Root
Ifá/Òrìṣà as a Sacred Way of Life & Healing
Guided by Oluwo Awosoji Adekunle Akangbe Ogun, this branch serves as the spiritual root system of the Institute. Anchored as an ancestral bridge, this path calls to seekers who feel an unspoken missing piece in their lives and are ready to embrace the sacred discipline of Ifá and Òrìṣà as a living way of life. Dedicated to spiritual diagnostics through Ifá divination, ancestral reconciliation, and lifelong cultural education, this branch guides individuals from reconnection into the grounding, clarity, and unbroken lineage needed to return home to oneself.
Here, those who are committed come to understand that traditional Yorùbá spiritual practice is fundamentally centered on longevity—the grace to live an impactful life, uncover your unique ancestral blueprint, and endure long enough to fulfill every intended blessing. Through Ifá divination, sacred offerings (ẹbọ), and initiatory rites of passage, seekers restore alignment between their physical journey and their spiritual origins. This pathway deepens through the study of healing plants and traditional medicines (òògùn), grounding seekers in the daily rhythm of ancestral devotion—such as ọ̀sẹ̀—so these sacred truths are not merely studied, but sustained as an enduring way of life.
Branch II: The Creative Form
Arelagbayi School of Arts & Museum
The Arẹ́làgbàyí School of Art & Museum was born from the vision of the legendary master artist Bàbá Kasali Àkàngbé Ògún, whose hands transformed how Yorùbá history, myth, and spiritual life are visually told and remembered. This living campus is the continuation of his life's dream: an enduring call for all people never to feel shame in their lineage, but to stand tall, learn, and create with the same raw mastery and reverence as the ancestors before them.
In a modern landscape shaped by digital noise and artificial imitation, our museum and studio serve as a sanctuary for authentic traditional craft. We nurture younger generations seeking true connection, rejecting external trends in favor of sacred discipline. Here, students dig into their ancestral lineage to discover a profound creative impulse that cannot be copied—only remembered and lived.
Branch III: Areomo - The Stewards of New Life
Alawoye Birth Center & The Kore Way Model of Care
Anchored in The Kore Way Birth Center Model of Care and founded by Sauleiha Ifashikemi Akangbe Ogun, the Alawoye Birth Center exemplifies the power of collaborative maternal healthcare.
Too often, families seek hospital care solely because Western facilities appear to offer the only clean, modern standard, while traditional midwives are marginalized despite their immense clinical expertise. Born from Sauleiha’s deep immersion—studying, laboring, and in continuous dialogue alongside the Àgbẹ̀bí—the Alawoye Birth Center directly answers what these elder midwives voiced was missing: a facility of excellence that matches the pride, safety, and mastery of their ancestral lineage.
Here, indigenous communities and visiting families find an unhurried, culturally rooted sanctuary to bring babies earthside without routine medical coercion or overintervention. By thoughtfully fusing ancestral botanical and physiological methods with modern medical diagnostic safety, the center redefines maternal care.
Beyond direct family care, Alawoye serves as a living training ground. It offers a dedicated space for those who feel called to humbly sit at the feet of traditional midwives, learn ancient lineage arts, and actively contribute to the thoughtful evolution of global maternal care. As Sauleiha’s primary clinical base, the center provides a rare, hands-on immersive environment where students of the practice can apprentice under master birth keepers.
The Alawoye Birth Center is operated through Ọlọ́mọ Ló L'ayé as a flagship project of the Repair and Reconnect Initiative.
Immersive Learning
Educational Pathways & Duration of Stay
We invite youth, community members, birthworkers, healthcare clinicians, scholars, and cultural artisans to study at the source. Through residential living, focused seasonal modules, and hands-on clinical apprenticeships, the Institute offers accessible pathways to learn, practice, and preserve traditional Yorùbá healing and creative arts.
2 - 3
Weeks
Cultural Intensive:
Clinical Delegation | Sculpting Basics | Ifá/Òrìṣà Guide
A high-impact immersion designed for students, clinicians, artists, researchers, and interested individuals seeking practical ancestral grounding.
✦Daily rotations at the Alawoye Birth Center
✦Introduction to herbs and concoctions
✦Cultural excursions to traditional spaces in Yoruba Land
✦Hands-on guild studio instruction
✦A demystified, practical introduction to living ancestral philosophy
✦CEU / Continuing education certificate
1 - 3
Months
Midwifery, Omo Awo, & Arts Apprenticeship
An in-depth residential immersion rooted in traditional indigenous pedagogy: learning through dedicated service, humble observation, and direct practice rather than instant mastery. Designed for birth workers, aspiring ọmọ awo, and artisans ready to serve as true apprentices within the Alawoye Birth Center, the carving studios, or the sacred grounds of Ika Alaparo Temple.
✦Clinical birth observation and support on rotation
✦Hands-on study of 40-Day Postpartum Restorative Healing practices
✦Direct studio instruction in traditional Yorùbá woodcarving
✦Traditional timber seasoning, tool consecration, and studio work under master carvers
✦Immersion in Yorùbá language, ceremonial food preparation, sacred oríki, Odù markings, cyclical ọ̀sẹ̀ rituals, and daily prayers.
✦On-campus residential housing is included; premium private upgrades (local guesthouses, hotels, or partner residences) are available upon request.
6 - 12
Months
Academic Fellowships & Sabbaticals
Tailored for university faculty, doctoral candidates, and master practitioners undertaking independent field research, ethnography, or systems architecture.
✦Co-authored research & publication support
✦Direct access to elders & lineage archive
✦Clinical observation and systems documentation
✦Customized institutional supervision
Higher Education Collaboration
University Partnership & Global Research
Arelagbayi actively collaborates with international academic institutions, global health departments, and medical schools to decolonize health curricula and foster equitable exchange.
✦ Study Abroad & Field Elective:
✦ Collaborative Clinical Research:
✦ Advisory & Guest Lectures:
Immersive practicums in maternal global health, ancestral medical anthropology, and sacred arts.
Documenting maternal health outcomes under integrated traditional Agbebi and clinical models.
Faculty engagements on indigenous healing frameworks, and traditional arts.
Institutional Inquiries
We invite university deans, global education directors, and department heads to structure formal Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for student delegations and research grants.