Figure | ere ibeji

The Yoruba have one of the highest rates of twins and mortality in the world. There is one twin for every eleven children. Twins and their mothers are treated with special care and attention. If a twin dies at birth or in the first years of its life, it is considered a great misfortune, because the twin soul is considered indivisible. A symbolic replacement must be created in the form of a carved figure consecrated by a priest in a ritual. It is called ere-Ibeji (= image of the twin). It is given the same care and attention (i.e. washed, oiled and fed) as the real twin. The cult of twins is not old and probably only emerged in the mid-19th century. In the past, twins were considered to be ominous, as they were in other ethnic groups. It is not yet clear how the positive re-evaluation of twins came about. A clear characteristic of all twin figures, of which there are also pairs and rarely triplets, is the "crested" position and the oversized head with a bonnet-like hairstyle. Author: Michael Schönhuth, Translation: Timothy Connell