Eileen M. DeMaio
1 . The Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria—
The Culture—The Yoruba people have a very elaborate mythology that includes numerous stories of gods and demigods. Their myths are meant to explain many natural forces or phenomena that occur in their world by using a hierarchy of characters which represent the different forms of nature. The highest god is Olorun, he is the owner of heaven. There are then other gods who represent the characters in the myths that tell of the beginning of humans on earth. Under these gods are numerous orishas, demigods such as Shanyo, which means lightning, Olokun, the sea, Olosa, the lagoon and Ogan for war, and Eshu, the orisha of chance or accidents. Also included as one of these demigods is Ibeji, the protector of twins. Ibi means “first born” and eji means “two”. The Yoruba believe that twins are sacred and powerful, bringing good luck, wealth, and prosperity to their families if they are treated with respect and kindness, but if mistreated or neglected they can cause poverty, illness and even death. Despite this latter risk, the birth of twins is welcomed amongst the Yoruba. The parents of twins overextend themselves and cater to these children so as not to upset their guardian orisha, who might then be forced to punish them. Twins are believed to be more intelligent and are sometimes treated very differently from other children of the same family. Amongst the Yoruba there is a myth which tells how the monkeys sent the ibejis to the humans.
The Myth
“How Twins Came Among the Yoruba” A long time ago in the kingdom of Ishokun, there was a farmer who was known by all as a hunter of monkeys. Monkeys used to come from all over to feed in his fields because his crops were so good. The monkeys came to be such a problem that he and his sons had to take turns guarding the fields day and night, but still, the monkeys came and went as they pleased.
The farmer became desperate and angry and went into the forests to kill all the monkeys he could. He went to kill in the fields and the bush but still the monkeys came to eat his crops. They even devised ways of tricking the farmers sons. A few monkeys would distract them while they kept watch while the rest of the monkeys would run to the field to eat the corn. When it rained the farmers sons thought the crops would be safe, but the monkeys still came.
After awhile the farmers wife became pregnant. A wise man from the village came to warn the farmer. He said, “You are in danger and much misfortune lies ahead because of your continual killing of the monkeys. The monkeys are wise and possess great powers. Instead of a child your wife carries an
abiku
( a child that dies shortly after birth), he will be born, live a while and then die. Each time she becomes pregnant he will be born again and then die. In this way you will be tormented to the end. Therefore do not drive them away—you must stop hunting them. Let them come and eat in your fields.”
Meanwhile the monkeys discussed amongst themselves what they should do to the farmer to make him pay. They decided that two monkeys would transform themselves into
ibikus
and enter the womb of the farmers wife. There they waited until the proper time. Then they emerged one at a time. They were the original twins sent to the Yoruba. The villagers came from all around to see this great wonder. Some people said “What good fortune.” Others said “It’s a bad omen. Only monkeys give birth to twins.”
Because the twins were
ibikus
they died soon after birth and went to reside with the unborn. Time passed and the woman became pregnant again. Again two children were born instead of one. They lived only a short time and then departed. This is the way it continued. Each time the woman gave birth they were ibejis, that is to say twins. And they were also
ibikus
who only lived a short while.
The farmer was very upset and traveled to get advice from a fortune teller. The man cast his pine nuts and read them. He said “Your troubles come from monkeys whom you have been harassing in the field and bush. It is they who have sent the
ibikus
into the womb of your wife. Stop killing the monkeys and let them eat from your fields and perhaps they will back off from this torment.”
The farmer returned to his home. He no longer drove the monkeys away, he allowed them to come and go as they pleased. He no longer went out to hunt them. After some time his wife became pregnant and gave birth to twins. This time they did not die. They lived on. But the farmer was not certain that things had changed so he went again to the fortune teller seeking knowledge. The man cast the pine nuts to give him a reading. He said “This time the twins are not
ibikus
. The monkeys have relented. The twins will not die and return, die and return. But , I warn you , twins are not ordinary people. They have the power to reward or punish humans. Their protector is the orisha lbeji. If a person abuses or neglects a twin, the orisha lbeji will strike the person with disease or poverty. Those who treat the twins well will be rewarded with good fortune.” The fortune teller once again read the pine nuts and continued. He said, “If the twins are pleased with life, good luck and prosperity will come to their parents. Therefore you must do everything to make them happy in this world. Give them everything they ask for, what ever they say to do, do it. Make sacrifices to the orisha ibeji. Twins were sent to this world by monkeys so monkeys are sacred to them. Neither twins nor their families may eat the flesh of monkeys. Remember this, for this is what the pine nuts tell us.”
When the farmer returned to his home he told all this to his wife. Whatever the twins asked for they received. If they wanted sweets, they were given sweets. If they said “go into the marketplace and beg for alms for us,” The mother would carry them to the marketplace and beg. If they wanted her to dance she would carry them in her arms and dance. They all lived on. Prosperity came to the farmer and his family, he was fortunate in every way.
It is in this way that the first twins came to the Yoruba. I have adapted this story from a story in Harould Courlander’s
A Treasury of African Folklore
; Pgs. 236 to 238.
“ibeji”—The Artwork—Twins are believed to share one soul. If one twin should die, the Yoruba carve a statue to hold the deceased soul, this is carried and cared for by the remaining twin so they may always be united. Sometimes these statuettes are commissioned upon the birth of twins in a family. The statues are called ibejis, and are usually small wooden figures, about 10 inches tall. The head is proportionally larger than the body with bulging eyes and scar lines on the cheeks. The head may include details like carved braided hair designs and rows of colored beads around the neck area. It is the way in which the ibejis are cared for that makes the statues so unusual. They are wrapped, fed, and carried like babies right along with the remaining twin. Although they are treated like children they are made to look like adults. They are not carved in the exact likeness of the child but do have genitalia to distinguish male from female.
The ibeji at the Yale Art Gallery ( slide #2) is made of wood and decorated with glass beads. It represents a female and was made in the 19th century.
2. The Bambara of Mali—
The culture—The Bambara culture of Mali is primarily an agricultural society and is known to have many ceremonies and festivities surrounding the planting and preparing of the fields as well as the harvesting of their crops. One such ceremony is performed to insure a good growing season and to increase the fertility of the fields. During this ceremony, dancers perform in pairs wearing headdresses carved to look like antelopes, one male and one female. The male is thought to represent the sun, and the female is seen to represent the earth. To the Bambara, the antelope is seen as a worldly intermediary between sky and earth and a symbol of fertility. The headdresses are called
tyi wara
. This headdress is their best known art form. There are a few different variations, some more abstract and symbolic, but each holds distinct characteristics associated with the different regions that the Bambara inhabit. In researching its origin I have seen it referred to as
chi wara
and
tji wara
. The word
tji
means “work” and
wara
means “animal”. The twi wara’s roots lie in mythology. The antelope is commemorated in a dance as a tribute to a creature from an ancient myth who is believed to have first taught the Bambara the art of farming.
The ancient myth of the Twi wara—
In the earliest days of creation, Pemba (God) and his consort Moussa Koroni had a disagreement and became estranged. Moussa was convinced she would have to punish Pemba for his infidelity. She began roaming the world, wreaking havoc and destruction. She was very bitter, but was able to show great concern for the men and women of the earth, who at that time, did not cultivate the land. They depended on gathering roots and grasses for their survival. Moussa mated with the hooded snake and from this union a male creature, part antelope and part human, was born, known as Twi wara, “the beast who labors.” This beasts’ head and neck grew into a hoe to till the soil. His spittle fertilized the soil, which in time gave rise to wondrous crops. He then taught the humans how to rear these crops. As food became plentiful, his students became forgetful and wasteful. Tyi wara was disgusted and left the humans, never to be seen again.
The artwork—The
tyi wara
headdress at the Yale Art Gallery is made of wood, fiber and cowrie shells and was made in the 19th or 20th century. The antelope type of headdress is common and widespread in the Bambara culture, along with other masks and statues. When the tyi wara is worn it is attached to a wicker cap and worn on top of the dancers head. The dancers are covered to their ankles with raffia and hold two sticks in their hands so that when they skip and jump around it resembles the leaping of an antelope with four legs. There are three style types of tyi wara headdresses; horizontal, vertical, and abstract. They are not carved from a single block of wood, but are made of two pieces joined together at the neck by an iron hinge. Another common feature of this particular antelope is the human figure sitting on its back.