Ibeji

Each country has a way of representing the twins. These are typical from Benin. Twins are sacred in Africa because they are considered a miracle. They are adored and considered genies. If you treat them good and they are happy, your day will be good too. The difference between twins from different countries is the way they are sculpted. Ibeji is the name of an Orisha representing a pair of twins in the Yoruba religion. The firstborn of the twins is known as Taiwo while the second one is called Kehinde. Twins are believed to be magical, and if one should die, it represents bad fortune for the parents and the society to which they belong. The parents, therefore, commission a priest to carve a wooden Ibeji to represent the deceased twin, and the parents take care of the figure as if it were a real person.

The measures are an average of both figures.