Ibeji Male Figure

Ibeji Male Figure

Head: Eggplant-Shaped in frontal view; high coiffure in cross - etched lines colored in blue pigment (probably indigo); sideward v-shaped ears protrude from base of head; shallowly carved lines represent facial features; pupils are recessed; v-shaped nice (V); single line mouth flanked by a set of 4 horizontal lines on each side . Body torso; thick neck, arms and legs; narrow rounded shoulders; long arms terminate at ankle; narrow body adorned by a string of red and blue glass beads; short, squat legs with long broad feet carved from 13/16" H base; roughly carved.

In the belief that twins share a common soul, Yoruba parents commission the carving of a pair of figures (Ibeji) when twins are born to them. Should one of the children 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.

Accession Date: 08261998

Wood
Beads
Fiber
Pigment

1998.6B

Africa
Nigeria
Yoruba People

9in x 2in