Wood From Original

Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria

Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria
Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria
Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria

Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria   Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria
H x W x D: 22 X 10 x 8. The incidence of twin births is extraordinarily high among the Yoruba peoples, but so is infant mortality. Ere ibeji are Yoruba memorials to twins who have died. In 1830, the British explorer Richard Lander encountered mothers carrying carved wood figures, which he understood were little memorials. Twins are believed to be the children of Shango, the god of thunder and lightning. They are also thought to possess supernatural powers and share the same soul. A memorial figure serves as a receptacle for half of the shared soul.

Although representing deceased infants or children, ere ibeji depict them as adults in the prime of life. Each figure is dressed and adorned according to the gender, social status and religious affiliation of the twin for which it stands. The mother of a departed twin carries an ere ibeji tucked in her wrapper and treats it as a live infant in the belief that to deny twins--Shango's children--is to court their wrath. The item "MUSEUM PIECE AFRICAN STATUE YORUBA MOTHER WITH TWINS FROM NIGERIA" is in sale since Wednesday, April 10, 2019.

This item is in the category "Antiques\Ethnographic\African\Sculptures & Statues". The seller is "leila84924ieb" and is located in NY. This item can be shipped to United States.

  • Color: Brown
  • Tribe: Yoruba
  • Maker: Yoruba astist
  • Material: Wood
  • Original/Reproduction: Original


Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria   Museum Piece African Statue Yoruba Mother With Twins From Nigeria