Ibeji

I have a huge interest in how twins are depicted in different cultures.  I’m guessing it’s because I’m a twin.  My favorite story of twins comes from Antiquity, the myth of Castor and Pollux (who become the Gemini twins).  But a close second is the Yoruba concept of the “ibeji.”

The Yoruba people are an ethnic group from Nigeria, which happens to have the highest rate of twin births in the world.  Unfortunately, however, the death rate is also high.  Yoruba beliefs holds that the first twin born is a sort of “scout” and, once they see the world, sends a message back to the other twin telling them whether they should continue into this world.  If not, the twin yet to be born is stillborn.  If neither twin thinks that life will be good enough, they are both stillborn.  The twins also share a singular soul.

If one of the twins dies then there is the problem of the living twin’s soul being in crisis.  So physical representations of the twins, called ibeji, are created to house the soul of the twins.  These have traditionally been carved wooden sculptures.

As per usual, European colonial powers sought to destroy this practice and impose Christianity.  Under England’s control, ibeji figures were made illegal.  The Yoruba people adapted and created ibeji less noticeably “African” through photography

and more European looking sculptures.  The actual physical appearance of the twins is not important because the ibeji is meant to capture the soul.  The statues are the same in appearance and for photography, the image of the surviving twin is duplicated.  If the twins are of different sexes, then one of the photos will be of the surviving twin dressed as the opposite gender.