Understanding Where We Come From
Mama Toto’s Iboga Plantation
A vision received in dreams. A sacred root. An invitation to deepen your relationship with the plant called a teller of truth.
Mama Toto received a vision.
A WOMAN. A DREAM.
In a small village near Lambaréné, Gabon a powerful spiritual leader was shown by her ancestors what she must do: establish an Iboga plantation on her land — restoring balance, generating income for her village, and keeping the sacred root in the hands of those who have always held it.
THE SACRED WOOD
"Within the Bwiti tradition, Iboga is held as a teller of truth — consulted for its timeless wisdom and guidance."
What is Iboga?
A tree native to the Congo Basin, central to the Bwiti tradition where it is known as "the sacred wood." Many people outside this tradition describe Iboga as a psychedelic, or as plant medicine for its capacity to heal trauma and addiction. While the Bwiti sometimes speak of Iboga as medicine, this is only one of the many ways it is woven into the fabric of their lives.
If you've been one of the fortunate ones to sit with this plant, you know something of what it offers. But the story of the root bark didn't start at ceremony. It began years before it came to meet you — in the soil of Gabon. From a seed to a seedling, to a tree deepening its roots until it was harvested eventually traveling thousands of miles to meet you.
The Vision
4,444 Iboga seedlings on 1 hectare of her land — legally compliant and traceable.
Cultivated and stewarded by Indigenous women, under Mama Toto’s full leadership and authority.
A sustainable, land-based source of income for her village — projecting ~$400,000 from the first harvest alone.
Grounded in the Bwiti tradition — ensuring the root remains connected to the spiritual context that gives it power.
THE MAGIC OF 4
4,444
SACRED SEEDLINGS
$44,444
INVESTED IN THE GROUND
$444,444
FIRST HARVEST RETURN
Four is the number of the earth — of the four directions, four elements, four seasons. It is the number of foundations built to last.
4,444 is understood across traditions as a message from ancestors: the work is held, the ground is solid, those who came before are watching with care.
Plant your name in Gabon.
YOUR INVITATION
For $100, your name is planted into the soil of the plantation alongside the seedling you made possible. Tended by the same hands, warmed by the same sun, held by the same earth as the sacred root itself.
4,444 trees. 4,444 sponsors. A forest of names and roots, growing together. If 4,444 trees find 4,444 sponsors, this project is not only fully funded — it becomes a living record of every person who said yes to a deeper relationship with this plant.
Your name will live in Gabon. That is not a metaphor. That is real.
We give from trust, not based on outcomes.
ALAHNE’S DIFFERENTIATION
Most funding requires reporting and metrics, asking communities to adapt their way of being. We know the wisdom is already there. Our role is to resource it — without imposing our ways onto them.
Mama Toto's plantation is led by Indigenous women. Their knowledge of this land, this root, and this tradition runs deeper than any report could measure. We do not ask them to prove their wisdom in our language. We show up, we listen, we resource — and we trust.
True abundance is not a metric. It is a relationship. It is showing up in the village, staying long enough to understand the rhythm of the place, and leaving something behind that belongs entirely to the people who were always already there.
An Invitation to Plant.
This story started in the forest of Gabon, in the dreams of a powerful woman, in the roots of a sacred tree that has quietly held the wisdom of humanity for longer than memory serves. You are reading this because this story found you. That is not nothing.
Topline
In Gabon, villagers face limited access to their farmland, often hiking for hours and carrying heavy loads in traditional pondzi baskets.
Mama Toto envisions building direct access paths to her land and planting a sacred Iboga plantation to restore spiritual and ecological balance.
She is seeking 10 million XFA (~$18,000 USD) to complete the project.
The immediate need is 3 million XFA (~$5,000 USD) for land clearing, which must take place during the dry season (June–September).
All funds raised will go directly to her cooperative: SCOOPS Bouyedi Bwe Moutema (BBM) — “Wisdom of the Heart” with the exception of costs for required travel to Gabon.
These photographs were taken in a small village near Lambaréné in Gabon. The village is led by a powerful woman, Mama Toto. Due to the lasting effects of French colonialism, many villagers live in modest homes along the roadside. While many own land that includes plantations and natural vegetation, providing food for their families, they face significant challenges accessing it. Without direct pathways, villagers must often hike for hours to reach their land and then carry heavy loads of produce back in traditional baskets called pondzis. When full, these baskets are incredibly heavy, making the journey a physically demanding task that requires strength, endurance and abled bodies.
Mama Toto envisions creating direct access to her plantation to ease the transport of produce. Additionally, she plans to plant sacred trees known as Iboga which holds deep spiritual significance in her community. This tree has gained popularity in the West due to its root’s psychedelic properties, which have shown remarkable potential in healing addiction. The Western approach is to isolate and patent the chemical compound ibogaine, believed to be responsible for these effects. However, this has led to extractive exploitation of the Iboga tree, as pharmaceutical companies race to develop it into a marketable "miracle drug."
What is often overlooked is that the true power of Iboga comes from its spiritual context, deeply rooted in Gabonese traditions. When separated from this cultural and spiritual framework, ibogaine’s impact is significantly diminished. Mama Toto wants to honor her ancestors and the sacred root by replenishing what has been taken and establishing an Iboga plantation on her land, preserving both its spiritual and natural significance.
Progress
Our goal is to raise $20,000 to support this project.