“Ibeji” twin Sculptures
| Description: |
Twins hold a special place among the Yoruba of Nigeria where they have the highest rate of twin births in the world. They are protected by the God of Twins, called Ibeji,” and are believed to have the power to bring good fortune, health and happiness to their families. Even after a twin dies, its spirit continues to watch over its family. After the death of a twin, its mother has a figure like these carved. It is believed that the spirit of the twin lives inside the figure. To help the twins spirit feel cared for and loved, the mother cares for the figure as if it were a living child by feeding and bathing it, dressing it with jewelry and carrying it with her wherever she goes. In this way, she respects the twins spirit and lets everyone in the community know that she holds the special honor of being the mother of twins. The leather bracelet on the ankle of one of the twin figures represents and retains the power of the orisha (or deity/God), Aro, the Yoruba goddess who helps women who have children who were born to die. The cowrie shells dangling from one of the twins represents the wealth of the family. The beads around the neck relate to Shango, the Yoruba God of thunder and lightning. The metal anklet was added to ward off the malevolent powers of the orisha who dislikes twins. |
|---|---|
| Source: |
http://www.digitalindy.org/cdm/ref/collection/tcm/id/2006 |
| Collection: |
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis |
| Rights: | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/; |
| Copyright: |
Creative Commons (CC By-SA 3.0); |
| Geography: |
Africa |
| Subjects: |
Yoruba (African people) Yoruba (African people) -- Social life and customs Twins Mourning customs |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.