H = 614 mm ; wood
an identical piece of art has been chosen for the poster on master pieces of the BARBIER-MULLER exhibition in the MONA BISMARK gallery in paris, june 2000.
remarkable haume mask with 2 figures symetracaly opposed. one with red painting, and the other with black painting.
beautiful scarification and patine.
on the top of hairdress and on the sides of the mask are represented lezzards (river divinity) also painted in red and black.
very old, lots of dancing. inquire about this item at infos@africans-art.com

Twins in west african art


Many cultures, including our own, celebrate the birth of twins, some view them as something dangerous that must be destroyed but is rare to find a society that is indifferent to this unusual occurrence. The treatment of twins in West Africa is particularly unusual, possibly due to the high twin rate in this area. In the Cameroonian Grassfields twins are generally regarded as gifts from God. They are highly celebrated and respected. My own experience as a 'Manyi' (mother of twins) in Cameroonian culture made me aware of the significance of twins to this society. With this research I hope to enlighten archaeologists working in West Africa. I would like to provide a data base of material culture associated with twins to allow correct interpretation of the archaeological record.

I realize how important twins are in that culture. West Africa has the highest rate of fraternal twinning in the world, as high as 48 twin births in every thousand. Compared to North America's average of 10-15 twin births in every thousand you can see the significance of such a rate. There are over four times as many sets of twins born in West Africa than in North America! This is changing however as the use of fertility drugs is becoming more rampant in North America.


Information on Twins in West Africa.

As I mentioned before, being a Manyi opened my eyes to the significance of twins in West African culture. Through my research so far I have discovered that most ethnic groups in Cameroon and Nigeria have had some kind of reaction to the birth of twins. From what I've read and the people I've spoken to, it seems that most of them heralds twins as gifts from God. Twins are also often seen as a double edged sword. They are indeed gifts from God but also posses divine powers with the ability to harm those who cause them displeasure. The parents especially must be careful in how they treat their twins for the twins can either die or cause illness to befall those who cross them wrongly. I've been told that many twins are spoiled as everyone lets them do as they wish.

Traditionally there were several rites and rituals performed when twins were born. With the introduction of Christianity these rituals were frowned upon and nearly stopped. The Grassfields have only really been influenced by Christianity for the last 40-60 years so many of the traditional practices are still remembered. This area is also reported to have an indigenous written language so these practices would have been carefully recorded. It has been observed in the last decade many traditional rituals have been revised as so many twins were actually dying! The people noticed that only when twins were treated with utmost respect and fed salt and palm oil did they grow healthy and strong. As an ethnoarchaeology student I am interested in physical items associated with twin rituals. If an archaeologist excavates a village, how will this person recognize that twins were present? What can they look for to distinguish between a house where twins lived and a house where a regular child lived? How can twins be recognized in a grave yard? What is different about a twins' life and death? There had been a lot of ethnographies written about this area, but not many specifically target twins. The problem with those that do target twin culture is that they do not describe the material items associated with rituals. This is where my work will have to fill in the blanks.