I am posting this in pieces b/c the Illuminati are really toying with my internet session via remote access..................



Yoruba Religious BeliefsWithin today’s Yoruba religious affiliations, more than 40%
of the population are allied to Islam, less than 40% are
Christians with the remaining 20% exclusively practising
the traditional animist Yoruba religion. However, most
Yoruba people belonging to the Islamic or to the Christian
faith also adhere in one way or another to the traditional
religious beliefs. The latter are based on the immortality of
the soul and on its reincarnation, which are both essential
to the ibeji twin belief.

Besides the creator Olorun or Olodumare the Yoruba
pantheon is diversified into numerous gods or Orishas. The
resemblance with the realm of ancient Greek mythology
justifies the designation of the Yorubas as the “Hellenes of
Africa” (Bascom, 1973; Chappel, 1974; Mobolade, 1971;
Thompson, 1971). The main Orishas are (Courlander,
1973; Stoll & Stoll, 1980):
Shango: god of thunder and lightening whose emblem
is the double axe (Yoruba territory is subject to the
second highest frequency of thunderstorms in the
world, after Java);
Shopona: the god of smallpox, very powerful and much
feared;
Eshu: the troublemaker, the magician and sorcerer who
has many faces and may behave either favourably or
balefully;
Ogun: god of iron and war and anyone who works
with iron (smiths, hunters, carvers, taxi drivers, etc.)
is a worshipper of Ogun;
Obatalla: Olorun’s plenipotentiary who created the
cripples while being drunk.

Besides these main figures, there are many secondary
Orishas.

The belief in reincarnation is linked to the Yoruba ancestor
belief. In Yoruba religion it is thought that about two gen-
erations after death, every human soul has a chance to
return to earth in the body of a newborn, mostly within the
same family. The welfare of any family is entirely depen-
dent on that of its ancestors. Therefore, regular prayers are
said and sacrificial gifts are laid in front of a special family
shrine devoted to the ancestors (Jantzen & Bertisch, 1993;
Stoll & Stoll, 1980; Thompson, 1971).

As in other African social frameworks, the Yoruba have
developed select and secret religious communities endowed
with strong powers based on the use of black magic and
powerful drugs. The most prominent of these groups is the
Ogboni organisation which, in the past, could even force an
offender to drink a cup of deadly poison.

In their very popular festival that takes place once a
year, the Egungun worshippers represent the spirits of the
departed by masks, in order to connect the living to the
dead. Other such organisations are the Gelede and Epa soci-
eties which are well known for their display of elaborate
masks (Thompson, 1971).
Twins in Yoruba SocietyIn traditional African societies, twins were considered of
preternatural origin and raised emotional reactions oscillat-
ing from fear and repugnance to hope and joy (Leroy,
1995). In ancient times, the Yoruba used to reject and even
sacrifice newborn twins (Leroy, 1995). Strangely enough,
historical scales were tipped so that twins are nowadays not
only well accepted but welcomed, their birth being an occa-
sion of great rejoicing. A feast will be organised for the
whole community and even for neighbouring villages if the
twins are the children of a prominent member of the tribe
(Chappel, 1974; Stoll & Stoll, 1980).

It is believed that twins are able to bestow happiness,
health and prosperity upon their family. However, since
they can also bring about disaster, disease and death, they
will be treated with all due respect, loving and care. Their
upbringing is therefore far more permissive than that of
other children (Stoll & Stoll, 1980).

The first born twin, whether a boy or a girl, is always
called Taiwo, meaning ‘having the first taste of the world’,
whereas the second is named Kehinde, meaning ‘arriving
after the other’. Although being born first Taiwo is consid-
ered as the younger twin. His senior Kehinde is supposed to
send out his partner to see what the outside world looks
like. As soon as Taiwo has given a signal by crying, Kehinde
will follow. Kehinde is supposed to be more careful, more
intelligent and more reflective, while Taiwo is believed to be
more curious and adventurous, but also more nonchalant
(Olaleye-Oruene, 1983; Stoll & Stoll, 1980).

On the third day after the birth of twins, a visit is paid
by the parents to the Babalawo, the Ifa priest of the com-
munity. Through the interpretation of the Ifa oracle which
includes no less than 1,600 sayings, he is able to drive out
whatever evil spirits may threaten the newborn twins
(Chappel, 1974; Courlander, 1973; Thompson, 1971). He
will dedicate the twins to the Orisha Ibeji god of twins and
if deemed necessary will appoint for them an additional
patron such as Eshu or Shango. Contrary to these latter
prominent deities, the specific god of twins is a minor
Orisha who is never figuratively represented.

The Babalawo communicates to the mother a series of
instructions on how to treat her twins: which colours they
should wear or avoid, which food is recommended or pro-
hibited, which animals are dangerous for them, etc.
(Olaleye-Oruene, 1983; Stoll & Stoll, 1980). The powers
of the Babalawo included the ability to give the order to let
one of the twins starve to death if he was thought to be
possessed by evil spirits that could not be exorcised. This
custom is a reminder of the theme of “the good and the bad
twin” which is part of the mythical beliefs of many archaic
tribes (Leroy, 1995).
The Ibeji Belief SystemAs the Yoruba believe that twins share the same combined
soul, when a newborn twin dies, the life of the other is
imperilled because the balance of his soul has become seri-
ously disturbed. To counteract this danger a special ritual is
carried out. After consulting the Babalawo, an artisan will
be commissioned to carve a small wooden figure as a sym-
bolic substitute for the soul of the deceased twin. If both
twins have died, two of these figures are made (Figure 2;
Jantzen & Bertisch, 1993; Mobolade, 1971; Stoll & Stoll,
1980).

These effigies are called Ere ibeji (from ‘ibi’ = born
and ‘eji’ = two; ere means sacred image). By virtue of his
immortal soul hosted by his ibeji, the departed twin remains as
powerful as the living one. The ibeji(s) will have
to be cared for by the parents or later on by the surviving
twin. Therefore, these figures are symbolically washed, fed
and clothed on a regular basis, according to a popular
Yoruba saying “dead ibeji expenses are expenses for the living”
(Courlander, 1973). According to these customs, the
mother enjoys certain privileges even if both her twins have
died (Stoll & Stoll, 1980).