unknown Egba
Yoruba Primary

Ere Ibeji (Twin Figure)

20th century

10 x 3.5 x 3 in. (25.4 x 8.89 x 7.62 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• African - Refers to the cultures of the continent of Africa, which is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.
• beads - Refers to small objects, of any shape or material, pierced so that they may be strung or hung or attached, as by sewing.
• bracelets - Ornamental bands or circlets worn on the lower arm. Use "armlets" for similar articles worn on the upper arm.
• carving - The act of shaping, marking, or decorating wood, stone, or another material by cutting or incising, typically using tools such as chisels and other blades. It refers to this process as it is applied to small-scale objects or to objects that are not considered art. "Carving" may also be considered a sculpture technique that is employed in the creation of art.
• Egba
• ere ibeji - Anthropomorphic figures carved by the Yoruba people of Africa in memory of a deceased twin or twins.
• female - Referring to the sex that normally produces eggs or female germ cells.
• necklaces - Ornaments worn around the neck, usually in the form of chains or strands of beads, pearls, stones, or decorative or precious materials, and often including a suspended ornamental pendant. Use "chokers" for short, narrow necklaces worn close to the throat. Use "dog collars (necklaces)" for wide ornamental bands worn tightly around the neck.
• Nigerian
• reproductions - Copies of art images, art objects, decorative arts, or other valued images or objects, made without intent to deceive; with regard to art images, it includes photographic reproductions. The term implies more precise and faithful imitation than does the term "copies (derivative objects)." Where the intent is to deceive, see "forgeries" or "counterfeits." For prints copying other two-dimensional works, typically dating from before the widespread use of photography, use "reproductive prints."
• ritual objects - Objects used for a particular ritual activity, often as part of a ceremony.
• scarifications - Refers to permanent marks, such as symbols, patterns, or other designs, made on human skin by scarring, done for social or cultural reasons or for personal decoration.
• tourism - The industry providing facilities and services to people traveling for recreation.
• twins - Two siblings conceived, carried in the womb, and usually born at the same time. They may be identical, as when one fertilized egg splits, or fraternal, as when two eggs are individually fertilized.
• West African - Styles and cultures from the region comprising the westernmost area of the African continent, defined by the United Nations as including the modern nations of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
• wood - The principal tissue of trees and other plants that provides both strength and a means of conducting nutrients. Wood is one of the most versatile materials known.
• Yoruba

This object is a member of the following portfolios: