A male ere ibeji figure
Yoruba peoples (Oyo)
Category
Art / Sculpture
Date
Unknown
Materials
Wood, camwood powder, indigo powder
Measurements
270 x 88 x 65 mm
Place of origin
Yorubaland
Order this imageCollection
Greenway, Devon
NT 120527
Summary
Wood, camwood powder, pigment, a standing male ere ibeji, Yoruba artist, Oyo, Yorubaland, probably late 19th or 20th century. An idealised male ere ibeji (twin figure), standing, with arms carved into the hips, the elongated crown-shaped hairstyle stained with indigo powder, the body with camwood patina. The face and abdomen are incised with lines representing the scarification that affiliates the figure with a particular Yoruba society, in this case the Oyo. The facial and bodily features have worn down from daily care. Ere ibeji are sacred representations of a deceased twin made by the Yoruba peoples of West Africa. In Yoruba culture twins are considered to possess spiritual powers and to share one soul, protected by the Orisha (spirit) Shango. If one twin should die, families commission a babalawo (spiritual leader) to carve a wooden ibeji representing the deceased twin. The family care for the ibeji as if it were alive; feeding, washing, clothing and carrying it daily, as well as performing rituals to ensure that the soul of the twins remains balanced. Although ibeji always represent infants, they are carved with idealised adult bodies to show how they might have looked if they had lived.
Makers and roles
Yoruba peoples (Oyo), maker