ere ibeji (twin figure)

unrecorded Oyo artist, artist

ere ibeji (twin figure), circa 1950

Where object was made: North Oyo, Nigeria

Material/technique: carving; wood

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 25.5 x 8.5 x 7.5 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 10 1/16 x 3 3/8 x 2 15/16 in

Credit line: Gift of Larry W. Welling

Accession number: 2007.2715

Not on display

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Forms of Thought

According to Yoruba culture, twins are “children of thunder.” They are sacred, consecrated to Shango—the orisha deity who controls thunder. Like Shango, twins are believed to be spirited, unpredictable, and fearless. If a twin should die, his or her parents would consult a diviner to determine how the deceased twin might be placated so that he/she does not tempt the living twin to join him/her. A carved figure, or ibeji, may be created to venerate the deceased. The family maintains balance by caring for the carved figure alongside the surviving twin. Photographs and plastic toy dolls often perform the function of ibeji figures in contemporary times.

Forms of Thought

Among the Yoruba the birth of twins is regarded as an unusual event. Upon the death of a twin, parents commission an artist to carve a commemorative figure. Only sex and descent group markings relate to the deceased. Such a twin statuette is ritually washed, dressed and fed and danced with by the mothers of twins, and generally maintained on domestic altars. The elaborate hairstyle, the sexually mature rendering of the figure are to express the full human potential of the deceased twin.

Exhibition Label:
"For Life's Sake: Arts from Africa," Oct-1983, Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen
Among the Yoruba the birth of twins is regarded as an unusual event. Upon the death of a twin, parents commission an artist to carve a commemorative figure. Only sex and descent group markings relate to the deceased. Such a twin statuette is ritually washed, dressed and fed and danced with by the mothers of twins, and generally maintained on domestic altars. The elaborate hairstyle, the sexually mature rendering of the figure are to express the full human potential of the deceased twin.