Male Ere Ibeji Images of the Twice-Born

• Title Male Ere Ibeji Images of the Twice-Born
• Category Sculpture
• Medium Wood
• Dimensions 11"h x 4.5"w x 3"d
• Notes This sculpture is of the male twin of a set. The Yoruba People have a high rate of twin births. When a twin dies, or both twins die, sculptures are carved that are believed to be a repository for the soul of the deceased.* In the instance that one twin dies, the other twin oversees caring for the Ere Ibeji. If both twins die, the responsibility falls upon the mother. In the past, twin infanticide was widely practiced, as twin births were deemed abnormal and leading to misfortune. It is believed that this was reversed in the mid-18th century, and twins began to be revered, even worshipped. In the case where one twin lives, the sculpture form is treated in the exact same manner as the living twin.* There is also a ritual in which the mother prepares special meals for the twins, typically feasts of beans once a week. Camwood powder or indigo are commonly used to decorate the figures. *Marilyn Hammersley Houlberg, “Ibeji Images of the Yoruba.” (African Arts, vol.7, no. 1, 1973), 20-92. *Elisha P. Renne, “Twinship in an Ekiti Yoruba Town.” (Ethnology, vol.40, no. 1, 2001), 63-78.
• Artist Yoruba People Nigerian
• Credit Clyde and Annie Matters Collection
• Location Library Art Storage H5
• Accession Number 1994.0034.a
• Status Available Request this art work
  
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