Ibeji with Cowrie Jacket

Yoruba traditional beliefs and practices have been evolving from the outset. Long ago, the Yoruba recognized that they were beset by a high rate of twin pregnancies and that the resultant births were often troubled. Even in the age of modern medicine, multiple births are risky for the mother and the babies. Low birth weights and premature deliveries are common. The Yoruba responded to the resultant high rate of infant mortality with a belief system that required couples who lost one or both twins to create a carving symbolizing the lost child, serving as its embodiment after the fact. These figures, solitary and in pairs, are known as ibejis. They are ritually fed, adorned, and looked after by their mothers to appease the spirit of the dead child so that it does not become jealous of its surviving siblings and bedevil the family with trickery and misfortune.

In the case of this ibeji, from the collection of German-born American sculptor Karl Stirner, the figure shows signs of having been rubbed with oil and camwood powder and is adorned in a costly, cowrie-encrusted jacket. Clothed ibejis are relatively scarce. Because their jackets cover their bodies and legs, they are prone to being preyed upon by termites and other invertebrates, which prefer to work undercover lest they attract the attention of lizards such as house geckos. This handsome male ibeji is around a century old. Unmounted $700

6″

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