Male Yoruba Twin Figure

Male Yoruba Twin Figure

Wood with black head dress. Eyes are metal centers and almond shaped. Ears are medium and flat. In the belief that twins share a common soul, Yoruba parents commission the carving of a pair of figures (Ibeji) when twins are born. Should one of the twins die, his figure would become the abode for his portion of the common soul and would be ritually bathed, fed and clothed to appease his spirit and to protect the surviving twin. Carefully preserved in calabashes, such figures are removed once a year to be blessed by a priest at the Festival of Twins.

04021999

Wood

1998.28.2

Africa
Nigeria

9 1/2in x 3 1/3in