7. 3 TWIN FIGURES (ERE IBEJI)

Yoruba, Nigeria Wood, beads, pigment H. 10 _ in.

Among the Yoruba, twins (ibeji) are special children whose birth can bless their parents with good fortune. The Yoruba have one of the highest rates of twin births in the world, and the loss of twins is therefore considered a great misfortune. If a twin dies, the mother commissions a memorial figure (two, if both twins die), and the soul of the deceased twin is transferred to it. The mother dresses the statuette in cloth, adorns it with jewelry, and keeps it near her bed. She also offers it food and prayers weekly and performs more elaborate rituals on the occasion of birthdays and annual festivals. The figures are carved according to different regional styles, though the variations are not pronounced. The statuettes also conform to the Yoruba aesthetics of physical proportion. The head is one third the size of the body, because the head is associated with a person's destiny, or "inner head," which determines success and failure in life. Artistic emphasis is placed on "human resemblance," rather than photographic likeness, and the facial features, though stylized, are delicate and carefully delineated. The smoothed surface, which is difficult to achieve without sandpaper, expresses the desired quality of luminosity. Other Yoruba aesthetic qualities are relative straightness, good composition, youthful appearance, and clarity of line.

*Click here to view ERE IBEJI as a QuickTime Object

**Click here to view ERE IBEJI as a QuickTime Movie

*Mac users only.
**Mac and PC users. Click here to download QuickTime Player free.

home | history | commentary | about the curators | links