Object Name: Ibeji with beaded gown
Place of Origin: Nigeria
Cultural Group: Yoruba peoples
Materials Used: Wood, glass, beads, string, cloth, camwood powder, pigment
Dimensions: H: 29 cm, W: 22.5 cm, D: 11.0 cm (H: 11.4 in, W: 8.8 in, D: 4.3 in)
Credit line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Bequest of Mary Stansbury Ruiz. X88.424

The orita meta (cosmic crossroads motif) reminds us of the passage of the child memorialized here, and the hope that its spirit will be reborn in the future.

Source: Drewal, H., Mason, J. (1998). “Beads, Body, and Soul – Art and Light in the Yoruba Universe”, Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History. page 249