YORUBA PEOPLE, ADO-ODO, OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

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Yoruba peoples have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world. As a result, twins are regarded as extraordinary beings protected by Sango, the deity of thunder. They are believed to be capable of bestowing immense wealth upon their families or misfortune to those who do not honor them. 

Powerful spirits in life, twins are honored with carved memorial figures when they die. These figures, known as ere ibeji (ere: sacred image; ibi: born; eji: two), remain a point of access to the spirit of the departed individual. The mother provides ritual care to the figures – bathing, dressing, adorning, and feeding them. Such daily handling is responsible for their remarkable patina. Ere ibeji invariably show mature adult physiognomies, and are often crowned with elaborate coiffures.

Refined sculptor’s skills are shown in this masterfully-carved ibeji figure, which is confidently shaped with strong proportions and crisp details. The strength of youth shines from the upright posture, sure stance, wide shoulders, and soft features that seem to hint at muscle beneath. Finer detail work is found in the relief-carved garments and the exaggerated, almost elfin features of the face, with its almost supernaturally large eyes and delicately turned ears. The coiffure in this statuette is minimal, cut in an assortment of relatively casual lines incised around the crown of the head. A beautiful patina of deep mahogany and deep, dark brown with glows of warm rust red suggests a long history of cherished use.