Wooden Ibeji with beads

Description

This beaded wooden ibeji is a figurine for the worship of twins. Among the Yoruba, the birth of twins is a hugely positive event (and in Nigeria, where most of them are concentrated, they have the highest twin birth rate in the world). If one of the twins were to die, a figurine would be carved and the mother would dress and care for it as if it were still alive.

The Yoruba ethnic group is the one that has left the deepest mark on the American continent because of slavery. These Ibeji gave rise to the orisha in the rituals of the Afro-Caribbean cultures.

Additional Information