female ERE IBEJI with adornments, Yoruba, Nigeria, Africa

Description

The female Ibeji standing on a round base, the arms carved free with the hands against the hips, a carved skirt, around the belly a  bracelet with partly some of the tiniest black beads, around the left wrist a bracelet of mainly green and orange beads (not movable, covered in encrusted redwood paste), also around the left ankle a bracelet, the face with protruding eyes and a high stylized hairdo with remains of indigo pigment
,
the statue with a dark brown lacklustre patina and encrustations with large parts with remaining cam wood powder/paste.
Yoruba peoples have one of the highest incidents of twin births in the world (0,05%). As a result, twins are regarded as extraordinary beings protected by Sango, the deity of thunder. They are believed to be capable of bestowing immense wealth upon their families or misfortune to those who do not honor them. Powerful spirits in life, twins are honored with carved memorial figures when they die.
More than just memorials, these sculptures are regarded as containers for the soul of the deceased.
These figures, known as
ere ibeji
(literally meaning
ere
: sacred image;
ibi
: born;
eji
: two), remain a point of access to the spirit of the departed individual. The mother provides ritual care to the wooden figures, bathing, dressing, adorning, and feeding them. Such daily handling is responsible for giving their surface its distinctive patina.
Ere ibeji
invariably represent their subjects with mature adult physiognomies, and are often crowned with elaborate hairdos.
The size is 26 centimeters high and the weight is 280 gram. The condition is as pictured with insect damage and loss of material to the left side of the hairdo.
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