ibeji

African cult

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Last updated

June 17, 2026

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The term "ibeji" refers to the cult of twins among the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Twin births are unusually frequent among the Yoruba, and effigies of twins are among the most numerous types of African sculpture, created on the instructions of an oracle. These carvings are an important part of the artistic traditions of the Yoruba people, who have a history of naturalistic sculpture in brass and pottery dating back to at least 1100 CE.1

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African art
Ife and Yoruba
…distributed cult is of twins—ibeji—whose birth among the Yoruba is unusually frequent. Their effigies, made on the instructions of the oracle, are among the most numerous of all classes of African sculpture. Carved doors and house posts are found in shrines and palaces and in the houses of important…
Read More
…distributed cult is of twins—ibeji—whose birth among the Yoruba is unusually frequent. Their effigies, made on the instructions of the oracle, are among the most numerous of all classes of African sculpture. Carved doors and house posts are found in shrines and palaces and in the houses of important…
Read More