CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Figure | Ere Ibeji
Twin figure, 20. Jahrhundert
About the object
Twin figure made of reddish brown wood, smoothed and rubbed with reddish clay. This headdress resembles a helmet and is richly decorated with a notched pattern (cross-cut lattice in geometric fields). There are short scarification marks on the forehead and cheeks and rich decorative scars on the body and arms. The pedestal and figure have been fashioned out of one piece of wood. The figure is wearing a glass bead necklace.
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Many peoples regard the birth of twins as a mysterious event, which is usually interpreted negatively, construed as a baleful portent, less often as a positive prognostication. Around the beginning of the 20th century, twins were welcomed by the Yoruba. The birth of twins means happiness and wealth for the family, whereas in the past, as in the case of other West Africans, they were feared. Twin figures, carved to order by artists, have different functions: they can "replace" a twin who has died in infancy, they can embody the mother's wish to have twins, or they can also serve as votive gifts offered to the god of twins after a twin birth. Like real children, the ibeji figures are washed, anointed, dressed, stroked and carried in a shawl on the back. The traces of this tender cosseting are clearly visible on older figures in particular. None of the figures are individual portraits and there are no depictions of children, only adults, nevertheless a great variety of types and regional styles obtain. Author: Eva Gerhards, Translation: Timothy Connell
