Pair of twin figures "ere ibeji"

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, encrusted with camwood powder, indigo blue pigment, strings of glass beads and cowrie snails, male/female, drilled pupils, scarification marks on body and face, the facial features rubbed off from feeding procedures, slightly dam.;
as the Yoruba believe that twins have a combined, inseparable soul, the moment one of the twins dies, the life of the other is immediately imperiled, because the balance of his soul is seriously disturbed. Therefore an artisan is ordered to carve a small wooden figure to serve as new abode for the soul of the deceased. The “babalawo” performs the traditional ritual of transferring the soul into the wooden figure. They are called “ere ibeji”. The Yoruba word “ibeji” means “twin”, “ere” = “sacred image”.