A pair of small, wooden human effigies from Nigeria known as Ere Ibeji

Title: Ere Ibeji Twin Figures

Date: ca. 1950 – 1970
Culture: Yoruba Peoples (Shaki Region, Oyo, Nigeria)
Material: Wood, pigment, cloth, shells
Size: 9” H each
Credit: Gift of R. Weiss
On View: No

Twins are frequently born to Yoruba mothers. If one or both of the twins die, a figure is carved showing the appropriate gender and decorative scarification for the deceased. The figures are clothed, danced, and ritually fed as if they are living children. Ibeji figures with beaded robes are often associated with royal or priestly figures.

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