Lot 668, Fine Decorated Male & Female Ibeji Twins. Yoruba /Nigeria / Santeria

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Lot 668, Fine Decorated Male & Female Ibeji Twins. Yoruba /Nigeria / Santeria:
$159.00

The Yoruba of Nigeria and Benin  - who have one of the world\'s highest rates of twin births - commission  these figures upon a twin\'s death. Because twins are seen as a  blessing (although centuries ago, twins were considered malevolent  monstrosities), the death of a twin is a calamity to family well being, requiring  elaborate appeasement of the deceased child\'s soul. With the help of  priests and diviners, the grieving parents select the appropriate  woodcarver to make an image that both represents the lost child and serves as  a material point of contact between the dead child\'s soul and the  survivors. It dwells on a family shrine to the Yoruban god Elegba, but it  is fed, washed, dressed (when possible, in clothes matching those of the  surviving twin), and anointed as if it were alive. Responsibility for  tending the Ibeji falls to the mother, other female relatives, and the  surviving twin if there is one. Proper care of the Ibeji will avert  evil and strengthen the family, as the Ibeji has assumed the status of a  minor deity.

Measures 11\" by 3\".Adorned with protective beads.