View Heart of Africa Images' mapTaken in (See more photos here)The Yoruba have one of the highest rate of twin births in the world. Twins have the power to bring good luck to parents who honor them; and misfortune to those who do not. Everything possible is done to please twin children. Mothers will hire talking drum musicians to sing praise songs and solicit gifts from people at the marketplace. Should one or both pair of twin children die, statues called Ibeji (ee bay jee) are carved as a memorial to them. In the Yoruba pantheon of gods there exist 401 orisa (oh ree SAH) who represent deified ancestors and the forces of nature. The Yoruba believe twins have the power of an orisa and when they die become orisa. Orisa Ibeji is the protective guardian of twins. Twins also receive special protection from orisa Sango who rules over thunder, lightning, rain, and fertility. Traditionally the first born twin, regardless of sex and considered the younger of the two, is named Taiwo, meaning "comes-to-taste-life." The second born is Kehinde, which means "comes-last." Kehinde is considered the eldest twin who sends Taiwo first to see if the world is a good place to live. Ibeji statues are ritually fed a favorite food of red palm oil and beans, said to cool the tempers of twins. The images depicted here are carved as adults with incised facial and body tribal markings. The male statue has a carved triangular Islamic protective amulet called Tirah. Mothers decorate the statues with cowrie shells and glass beads. At night the statues are placed on the family twin alter kept in the mother's sleeping room.
Posts: 315 | From: Deep Earth | Registered: Feb 2007
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Glider, bear in mind that 70% of this forum are not African American...so you are waisting your time...there are Asians, Africans, European American, Europeans...so you are waisting your time here...this is not an American forum...many posters understand what you are trying to convey...but this is not America....it's Egyptsearch... so please chill a little bit...
Posts: 461 | From: Kilimanjaro | Registered: Jan 2008
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I don't know about the amulet being Islamic, but pretty much everything said is 'spot on'. Gilder's post describes exactly what twins are all about in the/my Yoruba culture. Nice images too, though, they have already been posted many times on this forum.
Posts: 3423 | From: the jungle - when y'all stop playing games, call me. | Registered: Jul 2006
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These are actually some good images of the West African Ife/Yoruba tradition, known to have produced exceptional art work. Good post Glider.
Posts: 4021 | From: Bay Area, CA | Registered: Mar 2007
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Don't bee fooled by his post...the message is African Americans should stick to West African art...wake up! It's Glider who posted it...
Posts: 461 | From: Kilimanjaro | Registered: Jan 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Habari: Don't bee fooled by his post...the message is African Americans should stick to West African art...wake up! It's Glider who posted it...
Though someone of his type (type tr) may say post something irrelevant like that, he didn't, and so, who cares?
Enjoy the topic, while debunking any notions that the "Afro Americans" or other peeps on this site don't know West African art.
% )
I'll post one more picture spam, and that's the end:
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Amazing sculptures. Anyone know how old the ones of the guys in the armor are? Hundreds? Thousands?
Posts: 248 | From: Way Down South | Registered: Sep 2007
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African masks are beautiful too. Especially the ones from the Teke people of Congo. I'm having trouble copying and pasting for some reason. Here's a link. They would look good for Mardi Gras celebrations if they were had straps for them, don't y'all think?
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Damn, WhatBox, what a collection of good pics!
Posts: 3423 | From: the jungle - when y'all stop playing games, call me. | Registered: Jul 2006
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^^I just thought, what better way to picture-spam than spam these?
I've only recently looked into African art, and I love it, partly because it's just cool, partly because I'm artistic and now have more art I can culturally Identify with.
quote:Originally posted by sportbilly: Amazing sculptures. Anyone know how old the ones of the guys in the armor are? Hundreds? Thousands?
Well, Benin started in the 12th-13th Century, but I'm not sure how old the art is.
Posts: 5555 | From: Tha 5th Dimension. | Registered: Apr 2006
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William Fagg/Hebert list book 'Nigerian Images', here's a quote: "these and other bronzes were carried up the Niger from Idah by the culture hero Tsoede, and left by him in various Nupe towns to be the sanctions of chieftainship."
15-16th century AD From Traditional Arts to Jean Pigozzi’s Contemporary Collection Grimaldi Forum Monaco
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Posts: 1549 | From: California, USA | Registered: Jan 2006
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16th century: The rider represents Oba Esigie (c. 1504-1550), one of the three great warrior kings
18th century Brass Stool of Oba Eresoyen
21th century: Benin City
2005/2006; Shown here is an idealized portrait of Oba Erediauwa, presumably with the first wife of his four wives, to whom there also corresponds a special role; both are appareled in the regalia in use today.
1997: The four wives of Oba Erediauwa during a palace festival. Only the queen who bears the first male child will become the Iyoba, Queen Mother of Benin. Therefore she is the woman most often represented in court art.
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Posts: 1549 | From: California, USA | Registered: Jan 2006
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Ejagham (Ekoi) Crest Mask 18th - 19th Century Cross River, Calabar area, Nigeria Wood, Skin
The mask is worn on top of the head, held by a basket and chin strap. In the past, it was in the associations of hunters and of men who had killed leopards. The masks, which bear the same name as the society that owns them, are worn during funerals, initiations and other events.
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Posts: 1549 | From: California, USA | Registered: Jan 2006
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What kind of cloth is that blue piece with the spirals on them? Are the spirals some kind of symbol?
Posts: 603 | From: Mobile, Alabama | Registered: Jan 2007
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According to the racialist ideology of knowledgeiskey and Djehuti, the woman who is 2nd from the right is "mixed" due to her skin color.
Posts: 3085 | Registered: Jan 2008
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I wouldn't say that considering that parents the color of the people surrounding her (fairly) commonly have an offspring or two her color throughout Africa.
Also, some of the original modern humans had skin her color so..
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