Ibeji Twin Statues

Dublin Core

Title

Ibeji Twin Statues

Subject

Goddesses

Description

This statue represents one of the two divine twin children, Taiyewo and Kehinde, who are used to revere the god, Ibeji. These divine children are worshipped by the people of Yorubaland that worship the twins since they are capable of influencing their parents who make sacrifices to the god, Ibeji depending on how well the twins are treated. The Ibeji figures are actively worshipped if ill-fortune befalls a family such as an infant mortality, sickness of either parent, sudden poverty, miscarriages, etc. 

Check out the High Library for more information.

Check out sacred texts that relate to the artifact.   

Sources:
Leroy, Fernand, Taiwo Olaleye-Oruene, Gesina Koeppen-Schomerus, and Elizabeth Bryan,  “Yoruba Customs and Beliefs Pertaining to Twins,” Twin Research 5, no. 2 (2002): 132–36, doi:10.1375/twin.5.2.132.

Date

20th Century

Contributor

Elizabethtown College (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, USA)
Dr. William V. Puffenberger

Rights

Elizabethtown College retains all intellectual property rights to this image including, but not limited to, digital rights and any derivative works. For permission for reproduction, please contact the College’s Administrative Assistant for Humanities.

Format

A carved wooden statue of a nude female African goddess.
10.25 in X 3 in (26 cm X 7.6 cm)

Type

Physical Object

Identifier

Puffenberger #37

Coverage

Nigeria