Yoruba Ibeji

Ibeji Figure (Ere Ibeji)

This male Ere Ibeji figure stands with his hands on his hips and with slightly bent knees, has an appealing face that is typically Yoruba: half-closed almond shaped eyes, flared nostrils, full smiling lips, and strong ears. His eyes have heavy,thick eyelids decorated with incised eye lashes. His irises are represented by the iron nails pierced through the eyes. (Ere Ibeji is a combination of Yoruba words: ere ‘sacred image’, ibi ‘born’ and eji ‘two’.)

Two sets of scarification are on his cheeks: the vertical ones right under the eyes and the horizontal ones further down. The over-sized head is a deliberate design to emphasise the belief that the head is where the spirit resides. In Yoruba, the over-sized head is associated with one’s destiny, which is a measure of one’s success or failure.

The blue coiffures are decorated with a prominent plaited hair band that runs from the top of the forehead to the back of the head, and some finely carved bands on both sides. The blue colour comes from Rekitts Blue, a colour pigment much used in the 19th century and early 20th century.

The figure wears a necklace that consists of blue semi-transparent tubular beads. He also has coloured glass beads around both his wrists and ankles. Each wrist is further decorated with an iron ring. A thread of finely cut black coconut disks wraps around his belly, hiding the incised pubic hair beneath the protruding belly button. Tukula powder is applied heavily on the body. This powder was grounded from tukula wood and used as both cosmetic and protection from insects and the sun. Tukula was also believed to have healing properties and magical powers.

This piece has excellent patina and obvious age. The face particularly shows ritual wear and correspondingly has a lighter, worn hue. An age-related crack is at the base on the figure’s left foot. Importantly, even the items of jewellery that have been used to adorn this Ibeji figure have clear wear and patina.

Yoruba people have the highest dizygotic (non-identical) twinning rate in the world. The births of twins amongst Yoruba women are four times more likely than anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, the mortality rate of the twins also is very high. Ere Ibeji figures were carved as spiritual representations of the twins who died. These figures were commissioned from village carvers, who were also often highly trained priests (Babalawo). They images were carved as adults, rather than as the deceased infants. It is common in African sculpture that child features in carving are more mature, including elaborate coiffures, scarifications on the face, fully developed breasts (on female figures), pubic hair and prominent genitalia. They were usually placed on a shrine dedicated to Elegba (a divine messenger deity) in the living area of the house and fed, bathed and dressed regularly. These figures were particularly special to the mother, who keept them close to her and caressed the figures in a loving manner, hence the wear that genuinely old examples exhibit.

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